Where is God When You Are Misunderstood

So where is God when you are misunderstood? I have been misunderstood a lot. And it is no surprise that I have been misunderstood again by my blogs. I have debated about how to handle the misunderstandings, if I should just let them go, but I think it is important to clarify what I meant. So here is a reply to the first comment on the last post:

Dear Anonymous,

I appreciate your feedback. I want to set a couple of things straight. I never said if I prayed enough I would be protected, I just said God answered my prayer with protection and provision. He may have answered my prayer by saying no, but that was not the case this time. He has told me no plenty of times. And if you knew me, you would also know that I DO believe that even the bad things that happen are all apart of God's plan for my life.

Again, I do not believe God cause bad things to happen but I do believe he allows what he hates to accomplish what he loves.

I also never said that the people at Virginia Tech didn't pray. I never accused them of not being Christians or not being obedient or anything like that. Read it again to see. Their prayers may have been for protection and provision and God might have said, "No." Answering our prayers has nothing to do with how good of a Christian we are. In fact, we are all miserable examples of God's idea of a "good Christian." We are going to mess up and do the wrong things over and over. We could NEVER be a good enough Christian to please God or be good enough to get an answer to prayer. That's why what God does for us is called grace. And grace is an undeserved gift from God.

I am not sure who you are so I don't know if you have children. But if you do, or if there is someone in your life you love unconditionally, maybe it would make sense if I say it this way. I love my children with all of my heart. In fact, I didn't know my heart was capable of such love. And my kids try to please me but fall short all the time. They make mistakes. They break the rules, they get in trouble. So does that change my love for them? Does what they do make me any less likely to love them and care for them and do things for them? No, of course it doesn't. There is nothing my children could do that could cause my love for them to fail.

And that is the same way with God. There is nothing we could do that could change His love for us. In Romans 8:38-39 it says, "For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

And just as my children could not ever do anything to "earn" my love for them - because they had it from the moment they were created - there is nothing we can do to earn love or favor from God. In fact, there is nothing we can do FOR God that He can't do for Himself.

So why did God answer my prayers in the affirmative this time? Only He knows. It is what was supposed to happen. My purpose in sharing that story with you and everyone else was not to say, "Wow. Look how special I am. God answered MY prayer." My purpose was to show you that God gave me the tiniest insight on His sovereignty by answering my prayers in an amazing, complete and generous way. He was proving to me that He is real and always with me. And I shared it in hopes that you and everyone else would see it, too.

And as far as the financial support comment; I am not really sure what you were trying to say. All I know is that I did not anticipate nor ask for it. It isn't like I am always bailed out financially, in fact, it is quite the opposite. In my adult life, there have been few times that has happened. But when it did, I believe it was God's provision for me and for my family. Each time I have been humbled and extremely grateful for the gift, as I am this time. And there have been times that God has told me, "no" and it has been OK. We made it each time.

The last thing I want to tell you is that you made the comment that maybe my daily inconveniences weren't really all that important to God's bigger plan. I can relate to that logic. I mean, really, how could God care about my flat tire?

Here's the thing, though. He DOES care. He cares about everything that happens in my life; the good and the bad, the big and the small, the important and the trivial. He is like the best best friend ever. He knows me inside and out. "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows." - Matthew 10:29-31.

Finally, I want you to know that I am praying for you, whoever you are. I understand your doubt and bitterness because I have been there. I know how miserable it must be to feel that way. My prayer for you is that God would soften your heart and help you understand His truths, that you would grow to know Him and most importantly that He would fill you with a peace that surpasses understanding.

Thank you again for being bold enough to post your comment. I hope you will continue to do so.

In Christ,

Michelle