Have you ever found yourself between a rock and a hard place?
You think…
How do I pivot?
How do I get myself out of here?
How do “I”… how do “I”… how do “I”…
These thoughts can weigh so heavily on our hearts and can easily bring us down.
I was deep in thought, trying to find ways to recover from a recent setback, and I walked by this quote posted on someone’s whiteboard at work:
"Fear arises when we imagine that everything depends on us."
It stopped me in my tracks. I felt a huge sense of hope (and even a little embarrassment) at a time when I couldn’t get myself to hope.
“Jan, do you see the problem?” (Yes, I talk to myself.)“I, me, myself – I believe that I am in charge. I believe that I will save me. I believe I will fail If I don’t rescue me.” (Like a broken record.)
And it’s easy for that broken record to loop in our heads because life is tough! We’ve got bills, we’ve got to take care of our health, our family, and we’re also drowning in news like the recent tech layoffs, the Israel-Hamas war. It’s a lot. But we don’t have to carry all of this on our own.
I’m embarrassed, because I should know this.
God proves to me time and time again that He is there for me. And as the producer of the Faith Speaks project, I’m reminded that God is always working in our lives.
We’ve worked with so many individuals and their stories are all proof that God works for the good.
And there are so many ways He works. Below are just a few examples.
1. He moves your heart
Rewa Thompson always thought that her nerdy best friend was just a nerd. So, when he confessed his love to her, she thought it was awkward and would never work. But when she started to pray to God to help her find “The One,” things started to change:
“So what I learned from this, about the importance of prayer, is having faith. You have to have faith in your prayer and God hears and knows what you need. I asked for a good husband. It wasn’t necessarily Keith, but since I prayed alone and we prayed together, I realized that my prayers were answered. It was just about it all being answered at the right time.”
2. He uses people around you
James Johnson was only 12 years old when he started praying for God for guidance and to know the truth. It would take years of countless prayers but at the age of 20, James was introduced to the Church Of Christ in the most unlikely place… on one of only 403 US Naval ships in the world.
“While trying these other religions, I kept praying that God leads me to where I need to be, and strengthen my faith. One by one, God Almighty allowed me to cancel those other religions out.
During this time, Brother Paulin persistently invited me to worship service and church. And finally, after 3 months, I gave in and attended worship service. I started my 28 lessons and was baptized in the Church Of Christ at the age of 22 years old.
I had prayed for so long. It took 7 years to get the answer… every success and every failure led me to that moment in that breezeway. I am forever thankful to God Almighty for leading me to where I need to be to hear His words.
3. He calls to your interests.
During the pandemic, Keziah exhibited symptoms of languishing – loss of motivation, interest, and it bothered her so much. Because that wasn’t who she was. So she asked God for help:
“During the lockdown, I was approached to help make lyric videos for the INC Original Music Youtube channel, and eventually, other Christian Music Videos. So, after WebEx with my students, I would start on my lyric videos. It did three things – number one, it brought back the purpose I was missing. Number two: Completing a project brought back small feelings of victory. Number three: it made me happy.
Slowly, Kez came back. This energetic, happy girl that you are seeing right now. Let’s go back to that montage of the main character I talked about in the beginning – my winning moment was when the videos I edited were posted on Youtube. After months of feeling unfulfilled, I felt the win. The pride, and happiness I felt seeing them, knowing that I helped with that work. I always felt those feelings, and that was how Kez came back. Because when you put God first, everything follows. “
4. He reminds us through worship service
Michelle Delos Reyes was at her breaking point. She hated her body, she hated how she looked, and soon she developed an eating disorder that would put her mind and her body at risk. The doctors she met didn’t seem effective. But she found the strength she needed in her safe place:
“It was around that time when at worship service, a minister read a verse that hit me. The verse encouraged us not to be anxious about our lives, about what we’re going to eat, about our bodies and what we’re going to wear, because life is about more than food, more than our bodies, and more than clothing.
That’s when I noticed. It was quiet up here—my mind. As if for a second, that voice in my head was gone. That negative voice that had been bullying me all this time, it was just utter silence. And after that worship service, I literally felt a shift. It really was like a light switch. It was the beginning of an answered prayer.”
5. He changes your perspective
When Emirick Haro, a first time mom learned of her son’s diagnosis, she was in denial. She wanted so much for her son to be “normal.” But after praying, she felt a shift:
“I was in shock. I hadn’t realized that I was making this whole raising kids thing about myself. Fortunately, when I came to this realization, my paradigm shifted and I had to quickly re-adjust my attitude and my mindset. And so I chose option B.
We prayed. We prayed really hard, and we changed our prayers from, “Please don’t let Russell be autistic,” to “Please help us to understand Your plan and give us the wisdom and the strength to execute it.”’
After changing her prayer, God changed her perspective and helped her find ways to be an advocate for her son and to help him thrive.
Do you notice something?
At every challenge and weakness, each person prayed and found God’s love. He came to their rescue.
So, if you find yourself between a rock and a hard place, or if you’re struggling to stay afloat (and all those other metaphors about going through hard times), pray and listen. God will answer you through so many different ways. Don’t quit. We’re not alone.
Everything does not depend on us. And thank God for that because I love knowing that God (who is smarter, kinder, and stronger than any of us) is ready to rescue us when we ask for His help.
Not sure how to pray the right way? (Yes, there is a right way.)
Set up a time to speak to a minister of the gospel in the Church Of Christ and learn the proper elements you need to get your prayers answered.
