Ever read the children’s book “The Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day” or maybe you’ve seen the movie. You know we can all relate to those days. It is a hard knock life out there. You finally come to the conclusion, “this life is just too hard to do without Jesus.”
Adam and Eve had one of those “terrible, horrible, very bad days.” They brought it on themselves. The hard knock life began the moment Eve entered into the conversation with the serpent. The hard knock life began the moment she allowed him to invade her thoughts. The serpent outwitted her. His words made her doubt the Goodness and the Lovingkindness of the Lord.
“The enemy shall not outwit him, nor the son of wickedness afflict him.” Psalms 89:22 NKJV
God promises our enemy shall not outwit us. I gotta admit sometimes he has outwitted me. I am just like my ancestor Eve. I allow myself to get sucked into a mind game with my enemy. He gets a toehold into a crack in the door I have left open. He entices me to question the goodness of my God. All of the sudden my faith foundation is shaking because with one thought invoked by the enemy I forget all the promises of God are yes and amen in Christ Jesus. That is when my terrible, horrible, very bad days begin. I begin to question whether God is listening when I call out to him in prayer? I wonder where is God when bad things happen to good people? Why do three year olds get cancer? What is the sense in all this? I don’t try to hide any of these questions from God. I can’t. He knows my every thought. So I fall on my face before The Almighty God and cry out each question. I am not complaining mind you; but I am asking. I am voicing my great need to understand the storm raging all around me. I am asking, as Job did, please just communicate to me Almighty God; I need to hear Your Voice. Guess what happens in that moment of collapse and desperate need for God to show up. He shows up. “God’s not dead; He’s surely alive. He’s living on the inside; roaring like a lion.” Song by Newsboys, “God’s not dead.” The very next verse I read, “Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.” John 11:41. A moment later, I get a phone call telling me that someone I have been praying for has been healed. Again, the Spirit of God living in me, confirms to me “God’s Not Dead!” He does hear our every prayer. A dear friend of mine speaks during her time of doubt, “Lord let it rain and pour tonite.” One hour later, the rain comes pouring down in sheets. I don’t think I have let her know how much I needed to hear that. I think I will forward her this post. Today I experienced God afresh as He talked to me about all my questions. This comes from quotes in Henry Blackaby’s “Experiencing God Study Bible,” “Historical circumstances may force you to question whether God will be true to His promises, and God gives you the freedom to talk to Him about your doubts.” Also, “What does God invite you to do when dreams die and the work He has given you to join Him in seems to go nowhere?” The answer lies in Psalms 89. He calls us to search for Him in the battle. I am speaking to myself here. There is a difference between questioning God and complaining to God. When Israel complained as they faced many hardships, they forgot about God’s provision and protection and began to curse and complain. God punished them for their lack of faith. Lord put a centurion over my mouth lest I complain to you. I need to learn to follow God’s lead wherever it may take me, but I need to follow without complaining. In my questioning, I can never get prideful and think I could come up with a better solution to my situation than the way Almighty God is currently handling it. He sees all my tomorrow’s. He knows everything in advance. I can never let my enemy convince me God doesn’t have a purpose for this storm. On my terrible, horrible, no good very bad days, I must check myself. Did I spend time in the Word of God? The first place God will meet me is on a one-to-one level encountering Him in His Word. I question, “God are You listening as I pray?” He questions, “Are you looking for my answers in the Word I have given you?”
So He teaches me during my doubts. The Word of God must become more to me than black and white words on a page. It must become life to me. It must be living and active when the rubber meets the road, and the hard knock life hits me in the face.