I just can’t understand why he doesn’t answer.
I am reminded of the line in the Patti Smith tune - “Why must we pray screaming?”
And seems to me he gets only mediocre reviews as a father - what kind of father lets his kids pull some of the sh*t we do?
Anyways, you both know my faith pretty much disintegrated when my wife passed - and I truly did have alot, I was always convinced that if a person honestly asks questions he would get answers.
That was then, this is now. Oh well...
As miserable as it can be, at least yesterday I bought and delivered the Thanksgiving dinner to the family I adopted through United Way.
Life goes on.
Dear djf, I hope you will not find the following crass or insensitive. But: Have you ever considered that maybe you're not asking the right questions?
After such a devastating loss as yours, it is not surprising that a person could "lose" his faith. I hope this won't sound too silly, but in my view, this doesn't mean that his faith has "lost" him, i.e., left him. It's still there, recorded in his spirit, soul, memory; it just needs noticing and then strengthening, all working to the Good. The thought occurs to me that A-G's new book might be useful to you at the present time.
May God ever bless you, djf!
I join with betty boop in lifting you up to God in prayer, dear djf. May He bless you with His peace and love and guidance.
I’d like to join my prayers with Betty Boop’s & Alamo Girl’s.
Sometime’s it doesn’t make any sense to us that God allows, or maybe even causes certain things to happen. And we generally don’t even get to know whether He allowed it or actually caused it, much less why He did.
It can be very difficult to maintain faith and trust, in the absence of some kind of evidence to reinforce that trust, and in the presence of evidence that might tend to negate that trust. But when we’re overwhelmed with grief, we seldom see things as they truly are.
I don’t know what the answer is for you, but when I find my faith slipping, I draw from experiences that have strengthened my faith before.
Sometimes all it takes is a good look around at the wonders that could only have been created by God. Sometimes it takes the memory of a certain (personal & private) experience that proved to me that God is real, He is with every one of us, and He loves us. And sometimes it takes everything I have, everything others can contribute on my behalf, and time. Time to clear my head, and evaluate the body of evidence.
What made you trust in God before? Don’t tell me the answer. Tell yourself.
I’ll be praying that you find your way back to basking in the love God has for you.
And seems to me he gets only mediocre reviews as a father - what kind of father lets his kids pull some of the sh*t we do?
Dear djf, if you want, I will come and sit beside you on your mourning bench. It has been almost two weeks now since my dear son Alex was stabbed to death. I haven't been able to sustain much interest in anything else or even to bring myself to post much of anything. But seeing your post I will venture out a little bit here to share your grief. It you want me to just to sit silently with you I can do that. I understand. For a moment, though, please let me pour out a little of my soul. Maybe it will help someone else listening in.
I am so blessed and grateful for how my dear sisters betty boop and Alamo-Girl and many, many others here, and many others elsewhere have lifted me and my grieving family up to the Father in prayer.
Where else can I go? To whom else can I go, but to God?
"Why?" is the natural cry of the heart. Perhaps the better question, though, is the one asked by the Psalmists over and over; "How long, O LORD?" How Long?
Psalm 90
BOOK FOUR
From Everlasting to Everlasting
A Prayer of Moses, the man of God.
1Lord, you have been our dwelling place
in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.3You return man to dust
and say, "Return, O children of man!"
4For a thousand years in your sight
are but as yesterday when it is past,
or as a watch in the night.5You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream,
like grass that is renewed in the morning:
6in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;
in the evening it fades and withers.7For we are brought to an end by your anger;
by your wrath we are dismayed.
8You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.9For all our days pass away under your wrath;
we bring our years to an end like a sigh.
10The years of our life are seventy,
or even by reason of strength eighty;
yet their span is but toil and trouble;
they are soon gone, and we fly away.
11Who considers the power of your anger,
and your wrath according to the fear of you?12 So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.
13 Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
14Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
and for as many years as we have seen evil.
16Let your work be shown to your servants,
and your glorious power to their children.
17Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
and establish the work of our hands upon us;
yes, establish the work of our hands!
What is faith?
I read this one time:
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hupostasis, the word translated "substance," means "that which underlies the apparent; that which is the basis of something, hence, assurance, guarantee and confidence" (Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament, p. 1426). The English "substance" is built from a prefix and a root which together mean "that which stands under." Webster's defines it as "the real or essential part or element of anything; essence, reality, or basic matter." It is very similar in meaning to hupostasis.Faith is not only being sure of what we hope for, certain of what we do not see, faith itself is the "evidence", literally, "title deed" of things real, yet unseen. I struggled for a long time to understand the meaning of that phrase, "faith is the evidence of things unseen." How could faith itself be the evidence? That's didn't make any sense to me.
What helped me to understand it was when someone explained it to me like this; Can you see your ownership of your house? You know your ownership of your house is real, but you cannot actually see the ownership, can you? Yet, you know you own your house, and you have the title deed as evidence of it. You don't need any convincing that you are the owner. You are assured of it. For me, that is at least some of what faith is.
Perhaps you have not really lost your faith. Maybe you just need to do a title search for it, and take a look at the hard copy of the deed.
I grieve with you in the loss of your wife, djf. Anybody who glosses over the awfulness of death with platitudes really doesn't know what they're talking about. It is truly awful.
Yet, I can, by the grace of God alone, say this in the midst of my overwhelming grief;
23You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him,
and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
24For he has not despised or abhorred
the affliction of the afflicted,
and he has not hidden his face from him,
but has heard, when he cried to him.25From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
my vows I will perform before those who fear him.
26 The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied;
those who seek him shall praise the LORD!
Cordially,