MY TIMES ARE IN YOUR HANDS
By Naji Abi-Hashem
From: Bound To Be Free, compiled by Jan Pit
Shared by Dana Herrera from Manila, Phiippines

Have you ever wondered why God would not intervene in your most difficult situation only to find out afterwards that He did, but His timing was different from yours? How often we struggle to receive an immediate answer from the Lord only to thank Him later for not responding to our emergencies, according to our wishes.

This does not mean that God is removed from your particular situation, or does not care about our own despair. But he sees the needs differently, and therefore, plans special strategies to see us through.

This does not necessarily mean resolving the critical situation immediately, but equipping us with confidence and power to endure it. R. Niebuhr wrote once: "Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time, and accepting hardship as a pathway to peace."

During the long years of turmoil and foreign wars on our beloved land, Lebanon, we diligently and earnestly longed for peace. We desperately wanted the severe troubles to end.

A prominent Lebanese pastor later testified: "For years we prayed for peace and for the end of war in our country and God did not seem to answer us. So we stopped praying for the troubles to end and instead we started praying for courage, endurance, and strength. And God immediately answered!"

Beloved friend, although at times you may not fully understand, even when you cannot see God's hand, trust in His heart. For God is too wise to be mistaken, and He is too good to be unfair. He is definitely too omnipotent to be unable to be with you and relieve your despair.

LORD, I believe
In the sun, even when
it is behind the clouds;
In the seed even when
it lies unsprouted under the ground;
In faith, even when I have been betrayed;
In love, even when I have been rejected;
In hope, even when I have been hurt;
In God, even when
you do not answer my prayers.