Desperation. Loneliness. The stench of bridges burning that we have set on fire and now we must watch them go up in smoke. Anguish. Frustration. Lack of hope. Long on questions yet short on answers. Most of us have felt all of these emotions and shared these seasons in our lives.
This world leaves us with more questions than answers many times. How many times have we attempted to do something to help a situation in our lives or those that we love and are left with no words, no actions, just nothing. I have felt that feeling, more times than I would like to remember. There are times that the only prayer I can pray is a quiet, tearful, “Jesus, help…”
So, when we get to the end of ourselves, our logic, our understanding and wisdom, we have to decide what to do when we do not know what to do. Thankfully God’s word teaches us how to respond. It does require a response though. Our lack of action is an action. Doing nothing does just that- it accomplishes nothing.
First, we have to look at why we don’t know what to do. We must examine ourselves first. If we look at the life of David in 2 Samuel 11 & 12, David commits adultery & then to cover it up, commits murder. 2 Samuel 11:27 says, “But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord”. David had to face some tough consequences, but he did some things in the wake of his bad decisions that we should learn from:
1) Confess our sins. 2 Samuel 12:13 explains that David said, “I have sinned against the Lord.” We might think he sinned against the woman he committed adultery with or the husband that David had murdered, but David viewed it correctly; ultimately, when he hurt God’s children, we sin against a holy God. We don’t like to admit when we are wrong. We all blow it. Romans 3:23 says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God“. We all need a savior. Even when we have been wronged and have not blatantly sinned, we all have sin and fall short of God’s perfection. This can be through how we think or respond. Many times we have “sins of the heart”. Although others don’t see what’s going on, if we search our hearts and minds, we need to confess our sinful nature.
2) Repent. 2 Samuel continues the story of David. His son is struck with an illness. Verses 16 & 17 tell us, “David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and went into his house and spent the nights lying on the ground. The elders of his household stood beside him to get him up from the ground, but he refused, and he would not eat any food with them.” True repentance humbles us. We are grieved by our sin and our consequences. When we confess our sins in the light of a holy and righteous God, we see ourselves quite differently. What we may have excused or justified makes us sick. We lay down our desires and our excuses and we beg God to change us, forgive us, deliver us from ourselves and our consequences. I don’t know about you, but when I look back on some of my choices in life, I should be dead. I should have had greater consequences. When we repent of our sins, God promises us in 1 John1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Confession and repentance go hand in hand. Through confession and repentance, He promises to cleanse us and purify us from all unrighteousness. Repentance is different than a simple, ” I am sorry”. Repentance means, ” I no longer want to do what I have been doing.” Repentance recognizes that my choices outside of God’s plan for me is ruining me.
3) Pray. How many times is this our last resort? We all have people in our lives that only call us when they need something. As soon as their number shows up on the caller ID, we mentally prepare for the favor that we are going to be asked. The true friends in our lives are friends because of fellowship and conversations. You have memories, history, and times of tears and laughter. This is what truly defines relationships. How do we treat God? Do we call on Him when we need a favor or do we have history, conversations, and time in His word? Do we treat Him like a friend and companion or our personal genie in the bottle for when things get too bad or out of our control? See, when we pray and we study the word, be begin to understand how He loves us. He cares about all of our details, problems, and desires to share in our joys as well. He loves us so much- if we love Him we desire time with Him. James 5:16 teaches, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
4) Praise Him. We learn in 2 Samuel that David’s son does indeed die. My reaction would have been anger, utter devastation, & deep pain. I am sure David felt these emotions, and many more. Verse 20 teaches us that when David learned of his son’s death,” he washed himself, put on lotions, changed his clothes, and he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. ” Wow. We struggle to worship God in spirit and in truth on the good days. David worshiped God because he loved the Lord. He may not have understood why God allowed his son to die, but he loved his God. When we don’t know what to do, praise Him. He has been there for you more times than your mind may be able to recall. Ask God to remind you of His faithfulness in your life. He sent His only son to die so that you can have eternal life and be forgiven. He allows us to come before Him in our broken, hot mess of a self, and loves us and offers us hope. That’s a great place to start.
5) Trust Him. There are many times that I don’t know what God is doing. I don’t pretend to understand. I do know that there are some questions that I won’t have the answers to until I meet Him face to face. I do know that according to Romans 8:28, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” If I love Him, somehow He makes all the pieces of my broken puzzle of a life into a masterpiece of beauty.
When I don’t know what to do with the things I don’t understand, I start on number one, go through to number five, and repeat continuously. When we don’t know what to do with what we don’t understand, we can be obedient. We can repent of our sins and confess our unbelief, hurt, or poor choices. We can pray without ceasing, asking God to help us praise Him in our pain. We must trust Him, especially when we don’t know what else to do. Many times, our circumstances are trying to make us stop fighting and let God be God in our lives. Thankfully, He always know what to do.
Courtnay Aycock