Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Recently, a friend was wondering aloud to me why she is so consistently amazed and surprised by God’s responses to her prayers. She wondered why she continues to doubt that God will come through for her, when all that God has ever done (when she has asked and remained open to God’s will) has been to respond to her requests by blessing her with inner peace and clarity. She was clearly frustrated that she continues to doubt.
What came to me while I was responding to her were two things. The first is that I do the same exact thing. Even after all the times God has given me exactly what I have needed, I still sometimes doubt that God will come through. The second thing is that our doubt may exist simply because our human brains cannot comprehend anything beyond our human experiences. Our human experiences have often been about being disappointed by others. While human relationships are wonderful, and often serve to build our self-esteem and sense of community, they are also filled with disappointment. All human beings are flawed, and it is impossible for us to not disappoint each other. Because disappointment is an inevitable part of all the relationships we have ever known in our lives, perhaps we place that same expectation on God, our non-human Father. So, what can we do, given our human condition? Thankfully, God forgives us and continues to love us despite our mistakes. As disciples, we are called to return to God. Our initial thoughts and doubts don’t matter as much if we work to seek God’s ways when we recognize our sin. May we seek to continually return to God even after we have doubts or hurt others.
In His Peace,
Pastor Nicki
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