Faithfull Utterances: God, Are You Listening?

By Dr. Froswa’ Booker-Drew
Columnist 

This week I had to relay some bad news to a childhood friend. After waiting another year, believing the best, the parole board said “no” to his release. I prayed and believed God that this time, he’d be released to go home to his family. In addition, this had been a difficult week with the funeral of my dear friend’s son and some other challenges. It seemed like there were so many things happening back-to-back that I had no control over both personally and professionally. As a person who has long believed in the power of prayer, for a moment, I began to doubt if God heard my prayer.

As I thought about similar experiences, I remember when my father was diagnosed with Cancer and I believed that God was going to heal him. I knew that my strong, 6’6 dad was going to beat the disease. After his diagnosis, he passed away three months later. I was hurt because I thought God abandoned me, that God didn’t hear my pleading to heal him. Surely, God heard my daughter who at the time was four years old praying over her grandfather for his healing! God reminded me that my prayer was heard and that my father was healed. He was not healed on this side, but he was no longer suffering.

As much as I loved my father, so did God and that my father belonged to God. I realized in that moment that I was blessed for the time I had, and that God granted me the gift of my father. God heard my friend’s prayer who is incarcerated, too. My friend experienced what many of us do—when God doesn’t answer our prayers the way we want them answered, we shut down and our emotions overload us. We become angry, frustrated, and even feel betrayed. We tally all the things we’ve done or find ourselves feeling punished for the things we have not done. Our relationship with God is so similar at times with what we experience as parents. As a parent, I may tell my child an answer she does not like. She is angry and yet, she doesn’t realize that there are things I see that she is unaware of. It doesn’t make the situation better even if I were to explain it, and I allow my answer to stand. I still love her and nothing changes—at least for me. This also happens in our relationship with God.

Life happens to all of us. There are real consequences for our actions and sometimes we suffer because of the actions of others. Refer to Matthew 5:45. Bad things happen to good people, too. Ultimately, we cannot control everything that happens to us, but we can control the way we respond to the events of our life. Just as God has given us free will to make decisions, we can choose to see God’s grace and mercy. In some instances, we can even acknowledge the role we may have played.

For my friend who is incarcerated, he recognizes how his decisions also impacted the lives of those who care for him. There are consequences because of our decisions (or the decisions of others) and sometimes, what we are experiencing are the results. It doesn’t mean that God loves us any less or leaves us. There are times when we do not know what we’ve done. Job had done nothing wrong and yet, he lost everything. Refer to (Job 13: 15) Despite all the losses that he experienced in his health, finances, and family, Job made a decision to choose God even when he didn’t comprehend what was happening. He chose to trust God and to continue doing what he knew what was right. He didn’t give up.

I’m being challenged as many of us are…we have the choice to see God use these experiences as opportunities for transformation or we can choose to remain angry, hurt, and resentful. The latter doesn’t serve us well and it robs us from living the abundant life we are promised. Life wasn’t promised to be easy or free from pain and loss. You are entitled to feel the way you want to but at some point, you must stand on the promises of God and believe: (Deuteronomy 31:6) God is with you even when it feels like God is not answering, listening, or moving the way we want. Focus on what God has done and develop an attitude of gratitude. There is power in your praise!

Dr. Froswa’ Booker-Drew is a Buckner International Board Member and currently serves as Vice President of Community Affairs and Strategic Alliances for the State Fair of Texas. She is the author of three books and the host of a podcast for women, The Tapestry.