THIS season of Lent, we as Christians are once again made to introspect and answer as honestly as possible: Do we really believe in God? Do we really believe with all our heart that we should just put all our trust in Him to make all things work together for the good?
It is easy to answer YES when all things are going our way, when all that we need are within our reach, when our hurdles are easily surmountable.
However, in life, there comes a time – or many times – when we feel like all that we worked so hard for are slipping away, when we feel we are unjustly treated, or we do not get what we deserve. There are times when we feel like we have reached a dead end.
When bad things happen — like you lose your job, a loved one gets sick or die, your relationships crumble, you get betrayed, your house burns down, your business fails — our core gets shaken, we scramble to figure out ways to solve our problems and when everything fails within our power, we end up feeling desperate, hopeless and exasperated.
When things do not turn out the way we intend, we feel like we are losing control over what is going on in our lives and feel like our joy has been stolen from us. And the more things do not go our way, the deeper we fall in desperation and anxiety.
Fortunately and unfortunately for us Christians, it is during these moments when our faith is tested. Do we really believe in God? Do we have faith so strong to trust God even when we do not comprehend why the things that are happening in our lives are so contrary to what we have been praying, to what we think we deserve?
Human as we are — weak and fallible — it is during moments of trials when we are called to trust in God 100 percent. I know it is hard to come by naturally while our eyes are blinded by tears and our hearts are broken. The call is for us to consciously and actively seek God even when it is hardest for us to do so.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6) says. And to build that trust in us, we need to revisit the Word of God in the Bible, and look back to the many times when God was there for us, saving us, answering our prayers — big and small.
“See ye first the Kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33) We need to seek God with all our heart and put our trust in Him so he can do His work in our lives.
We have been told to pray especially during these difficult times, but the Bible tells us how we can really be reaching out to God in prayer. This is what makes it harder to seek God when we feel life is not fair to us and that we have been hurt.
“Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. “Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. “But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.” (Mark 11:24-26)
This Lent, no matter what we are going through, let us ask ourselves: Do we really believe in God, and will we put our trust in Him?
During the times when we feel weakest and helpless, do we seek God and find our strength in Him?
Do we allow ourselves to open up to God and surrender everything to His will in peace?
Then, maybe then, will we become ready for His miracles to manifest in our lives. “Let go, and let God!”
HAPPY EASTER!
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Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos
