Some tears
have been of joy, such as when my best friend welcomed her little girl into the
world, but many of these tears have come because of uncertainty and hard
change.
I recently
graduated from college and left a whole town that I had grown to love. My
church, community, friends, mentors, and most of my supports were there, and I had
to leave them behind.
At
graduation, my pathway wasn’t clear yet (not even the next step). So, this past
summer, I headed home to my summer job with no church and no community and no
plan. Don’t get me wrong I had a great family waiting for me and even a few
great friends who are here for me even now, but I still felt lost for some
reason.
So, I wept.
Every time I listened to a song that reminded me of the people I felt like I was
losing, I cried into my pillow. Night after night, I woke up to nothing but my
aching heart wanting what was behind me.
So, I prayed.
Realizing that going back is impossible and that God has me here for a reason, I
gave up my fight for the past to God and prayed for a new community. And guess
what? Four months went by, and I didn’t have the answer to my prayer.
Since that
night I prayed, I did start graduate school and a new job where I have met some
lovely people who I even call friend, but community? Well, that’s a different
story.
I’ve
discovered some things: not having fellowship with other believers is hard,
especially when you’ve experienced it. Standing alone makes it so much easier
to be attacked by lies. Being on my own, I’ve realized just how much this world
is not a friend of Jesus, and for a while, it felt like I was all alone in the
fight. For the first time in a while, I knew that I can’t stand on my own—I need
others.
So, I prayed
again and even told a friend about my struggle, and she prayed for me, too.
And this
time, at what I know is at just the right time, God answered. How do I know
that this is the right time for God to answer? Well, in the time of being by
myself and with God, I discovered how much I need to be in His word and that I cannot
do this on my own, which is big because I always have tried to stand on my own,
but now I know that I desperately need other believers to hold me up.
At just the
right time, after I had learned God’s lesson, He sent a fellow believer to walk
beside me and pray with me as we fight the good fight.
So, today,
I want to encourage you with the truth that even when it feels like God is being
silent, He’s not. During these past few months, God has been refining and strengthening
my heart. In reality, He’s always been answering my prayer. His answer was to
wait and listen for a season so I could be stronger and know that in my
weakness, He is strong (2 Cor. 12:9).
I don’t
know what prayer you’re praying, but I do know that God is listening and
answering in just the right way, at just the right time.
He’s always
on time, and His answers are perfect. Never cease to trust Him, and remember He
is near to those who call on Him (Psalm 145:18).
Living Life Together,
Rebecca Thomas
