IS GOD IGNORING ME, OR AM I DIALING THE WRONG NUMBER? – Episode 1
Jeremiah 29:11-12 says, “I know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for. Then you will call to me. You will come and pray to me, and I will answer you.” So, what happens when your whole world is turned upside down? What happens when you call on God and it seems like his number is on his permanent DND? When you start wondering whether God is ignoring you, or maybe you’re dialing the wrong number.
What do you do on those days when your understanding and belief in the scriptures you’re reading and the promises of God you’re speaking over your life do not resonate with your reality? What do you do when you’re in that constant low and your heart gets so heavy, all you can do is groan, hoping that maybe just maybe if you cry enough, God will turn everything around just so you can shut up lol.
Whenever shit hits the roof, my brother always jokingly says “Abeg Baba God pick up your phone”. We all laugh because that’s the best way we know how to deal with the situation, but it really sometimes be feeling like that can’t lie. Personally, I’m a “moved by what I feel kind of person”, which means that on days when I’m down bad, I tend to dwell in it and log off completely; therefore, praying or trying to stay hopeful can be a chore. It can get so bad that just seeing videos on social media of people testifying as to how fast God answered their prayers can be such a trigger for me, cause am I a log of wood? Am I not also worthy of fast responses, abi is your God different from mine?
It is hard. It is hard to trust what you don’t see, it is hard to believe that things will get better when everything around you points otherwise. It is hard to stay “faith-full” when it feels like God is ignoring you. I’m not going to romanticize the experience and bombard you with scriptures as if to undermine what you’re going through, cause I hate when that is done to me. I just want us to bask together in our humanity. It is okay to feel this way. Even the Apostles who spent every waking day with Jesus got disappointed and felt abandoned at some point, so who are you to invalidate such rawness of human nature?
I can’t claim to have figured it all out, and frankly, I feel anyone who says they have it figured out is lying (that’s my own POV sha o). One thing I’ve done, however, is find a coping mechanism that keeps me sane. Since I know my feelings go a long way in determining my actions and headspace, I’ve prioritized recognizing my emotions, rationalizing them and then countering them. In clear terms, I don’t try to invalidate how I feel. I used to always feel so guilty for losing faith, always felt like I was a “bad Christian”, like I was supposed to be a ‘higher than emotions being’, which is ridiculous, cause the heart of Jesus’s ministry is loving us for who we are as he helps us evolve. So, what I do now is verbalize exactly how I feel to God. I rationalize it by stating exactly why I feel that way, just to remind myself that I’m not a psychopath who overthinks things. Well, I’ll rather overthink to my God, abeg. Then lastly I counter them by holding on to a word and reminding myself that if God says in Ephesians 3: 20 that he will do so much more than I can ever ask for or even think of then surely my present feelings are minuscule in the scale of things because I can’t even fathom what he is capable of doing and regardless of how things turn out I know that it is working and has worked out for my good. All I need to do is keep my eyes on God’s definition of ‘my good’ and not mine. So, definitely God’s got us right?
Let’s Say This Prayer Together:
Dear God,
Today was tough. It really felt like the end of the rope, and that made me sad and anxious. I truly thought things would work out this time. I even had a plan in my head, but it failed.
Daddy, I am weak. Please give me your grace so your power can shine through my weakness. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Abba, I place everything in your hands. I rest in the assurance that all things will work out for my good because you love me and only have my best interests at heart.
So, help me keep my eyes on you, even as I watch my story unfold. Amen
Hi guys, thanks for reading. Faith doesn’t always silence the questions, sometimes, it just teaches us where to bring them. This series is not about having all the answers; it’s about creating room to ask the hard ones. So if you’re doubting, hurting, or just tired of pretending, know this: God is not offended by your questions. He’s already in them, waiting to meet you with love, truth, and grace. So, keep showing up, keep asking, and keep believing, even with trembling hands. Because even in the questions… He is still God.
So if you are interested, please join us on this journey as we navigate the emotions we feel but are too scared to admit. Always remember, this is a safe space. If you have questions you would like us to address, do not hesitate to send us a message here-https://www.justhummingbird.com/contact-me/ or here-https://stats.sender.net/forms/e7ly1a/view