I Am Heard (Identity Series)

I Am Heard (Identity Series)

Isaiah 38:5 “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life.”

When I read this verse this morning, my first thought was of a friend of mine.  She is really struggling right now, and I felt like God was talking to her when He said, “I have heard your prayers and seen your tears.”  Then I got to thinking, and I actually have several friends that are struggling right now.  Struggling with some really difficult issues.  

For all of you who are struggling right now, I want you to know that you are not alone.  Life is difficult for so many people right now.  On top of all that the world is going through right now, you have had added levels of difficulty.  I am so sorry that life has been so hard. Life is not perfect for us either, and yet I can see how the Lord has been with us through it all.

What if you can’t see that?  What if you don’t know where God was in all of it?  You can be someone who loves God and has a close relationship with God, and you can also question where God is and his plan.  King David was anointed, and he had a very close relationship with God, yet even He questioned God.  Psalm 13:1-3 “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?  How long will you hide your face from me?  How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart?  How long will my enemy triumph over me?”  Have you had these thoughts before?  Have you, or are you going through something, and you are wondering how long you have to endure the suffering before God will save you and answer your prayers?

If this is your first time, I want to let you know that this is okay.  Sometimes, we can make our pain worse because on top of the pain of the situation, we feel guilty because we are questioning the Lord, or we are mad at the Lord.  Sometimes our minds say things like, “If I were a good Christian, I would just trust God,” or “I’ve had a relationship with the Lord a long time, I shouldn’t be worried or questioning.”  God can handle our questioning and our anger.  He is strong enough for anything you have for Him.  He wants you to turn to Him in times of need.  You are not the only person angry with God and questioning how long you will have to suffer.  Trust me. There are many people in the same boat.  Please let the guilt go.  Please do not judge yourself for questioning.   David questioned often,  just read the psalms and you will see just how often, and yet God chose David’s lineage to bring forth the savior of the world.  

Second, I want you to know that this scripture verse is for you.  God wants to talk directly to you right now when he says, “I have heard your prayers, and seen your tears.”  He is there with you, even when you can’t see Him or feel Him.  He is there every moment of your life.  I know it is sometimes a struggle to understand why you had to go through some of the things you had to go through.  I know that not knowing is sometimes the hardest part.  I want to assure you that things will get better.  I don’t know how, and I don’t know when.  I do know that God wants ridiculously good things for you.  It says in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  God will get you through these difficult times, and there will be great times on the other side of this hardship.  Just hang on.  Just keep putting one foot in front of the other, and you will endure this hard time.

I want to give you two things that may help you through this difficult time.  First, it is from the same psalm that I read from earlier.  In Psalm 13, David questioned the Lord and asked how long he would have to suffer. Then he ended the Psalm with verses 5-6: “But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.  I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.”  David does question the Lord, and then he turns back to praising the Lord.  Praising the Lord in a difficult time can really be helpful in getting out of that difficult time quicker.  Now, I can already hear some of you saying, “But what if I am struggling to trust in God’s unfailing love?” or “What if I don’t know what to say?” This is ok. God knows this.  When I struggle to believe in something, I go to Mark 9:24, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

Sometimes, we get to a place where we can’t pray.  Has this happened to you?  If so, I want you to know you are in good company.  I am unsure if you know this, but Mother Teresa had this happen to her.  She was so close to the Lord, she was doing His work every single day, and yet she went through really long, like several years long, dry spells where she could not pray.  She would enter into her prayer time, and nothing would come.  The enemy makes us feel like we are the only ones that these things happen to and that we are awful people because of it.  I want you to know that YOU ARE NOT ALONE.  

I think that is part of the reason why God raises up Saints.  I think we usually put them on pedestals, and when we do, I think we are missing the point.  I think the Saints are actually to show us very real people that are not perfect; they made mistakes, in some cases big mistakes, and yet still were capable of carrying out God’s work.  God does not use perfect people.  He takes broken, imperfect people and makes them perfect through His grace.  I think the Saints are showcasing God’s redemption.  If you read about the saints, you will quickly take them off the pedestal, and you will be able to see parts of yourself in them.  If God could turn their lives around so completely, He could do it for all of us.

The second thing is to read scripture.  If you are going through a difficult time and you are questioning if God is there, reading scripture can be helpful.  Seeing how God has shown up for others in the past can help you see how He may show up for you.  If you struggle to trust in the Lord, read passages that talk about God’s faithfulness.  If you struggle to believe God loves you, read passages on God’s love.  I have recently learned of something called scripture writing.  I had no idea what this was.  Obviously, I could deduce what it meant, but I didn’t know how to do it.  How do you know what scripture to write?  How much to write?  I had several questions.  

The truth is, there is no one way to do it. The point is to familiarize yourself with scripture, and you remember things better when you write them down.  However, I like it when things have directions that I can follow.  So, if you are like me, here is what I do.  I go online and Google scripture-writing plans.  There will be tons of images that come up.  Most of them have a theme, so I pick one that I feel resonates with me for that month.  One month, I picked Be Bold; another month, I picked Repentance & Renewal.  Then the plan tells you which verses to write each day. It is usually just a verse or two.  I just got a notebook, and I write the verse for the day each day.  It has been really great, and I enjoy those 5-10 minutes with the Lord.  

If you are struggling right now, maybe give scripture writing or praising the Lord a try and see how you feel afterward.  If you are not sure you would know what to say for praising the Lord, you could always listen to Christian music and let the artists praise for you.  If you are unsure what to pray, you can pray the scriptures.  The Book of Psalms is also a great place to praise the Lord.  You can borrow David's praises if you feel like you can’t praise the Lord in your circumstances.  

You will get through this hard time.  God is with you!  You are not alone.  He may let you fall, but He will be there to catch you and put you back on even stronger ground.  You are amazing, and God loves you more than you will ever know.

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that you be with everyone listening to this today.  I ask that you let them see where you are in all of this.  Sometimes, we don’t understand Your plan or why we must endure the hard times. We ask that you bless us with a supernatural trust in you.  We ask that you help us feel you in those hard times.  Lord, we ask that You fortify us with strength and protect us when we are weak.  Lord, some of us are going through really difficult times and can’t see the way out.  I ask that you shine a light on each step of the way and fill us with assurance that you are there and are leading us out.  Lord, thank you for being strong enough to handle our questions and anger.  I thank you for your mercy that when we are angry with you or questions where you are, you do not get angry with us.  I thank you for the graces you give us each and every day.  Lord, we love you and are constantly amazed by you.  Father, we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’s holy name. Amen

Thank you for joining me on this journey to live boldly with Jesus.  I look forward to spending time with you again tomorrow.  Have a blessed day!

Today’s Word from the Lord was received in August 2024 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email [email protected]. Today’s Word from the Lord is, “I kiss you all. Each of you receive my kiss. My kiss, my eternal promise of my love for each one of you.”

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