Have you ever asked God to change or remove you from a difficult situation? I have.
When discomfort weighs us down, we ask God to make things better: the loss of a loved one, a challenging marriage, an unfair justice system, corruption, or chronic diseases.
We often wish God would change things. So we pray and beg Him for immediate help when things don’t favor us. Sometimes, His answer isn’t a “yes,” and we wonder why.
Maybe God does not change our circumstances because He wants us to see beyond our present condition. He often places us in situations where our character is being shaped, refined, and polished.
Oftentimes, this is hard to accept.
Our circumstances are not always about other people; more often, they reveal our response to the people and situations around us. The process is rarely pleasant because it often strips away our pride, self-reliance, and human reasoning. Perhaps, as we pray for God to change our circumstances, we should also ask Him to change us in the process while we wait for His deliverance. Nonetheless, we must learn to be patient and trust that He is working, even when we cannot yet see the outcome.
Here are 4 things God may want you to learn and be reminded of before He changes your circumstances:
1. God may want to allow you to seek Him.
Accept it or not, but when we are in our good days, we won’t cling to God the way we do when we are in our valleys. Being in a situation where we feel burdened provides as an opportunity to seek and be more dependent on Him. I am not saying that being in a good situation is not a reason to seek Him. It’s only that it is different when we seek Him out of our struggles because we know that we can always find refuge in Him.
God knows everything before we come to Him. Remember, He said that we can always come to Him and He will give us rest (Matthew 11:28-30).
2. Time for self-reflection.
Most often than not, when we are in a situation we don’t want, we play the victim. We wallow in self-pity. We think that we are being violated. Yet, during these unpleasant circumstances, we need to reflect more. “Is this a trial from God?” “Is it a test of faith?” “A test of love?” “A test of patience?” A test of character as a whole.
“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24
Our circumstances can help us check our hearts. Does it still desire to change for His glory?
3. Time to Trust Him.
During these uncomfortable or unpleasant situations, we need to trust Him more. When things are going the way we want them to be, trusting Him seems so easy because things are unfolding according to our plans. We trust minimally. When things are hard to understand, and we are in a situation where we cannot seem to control them, this is the start of the challenge to trust Him. This is the reason why in Proverbs 3, we are encouraged to trust Him with all our hearts and do not rely on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5).
4. Pray instead of veering away from God.
Sometimes, my response to these unpleasant situations is to veer away. I don’t prioritize my Bible. I default to just binge-watching movies or scrolling on Facebook. I rebel inside, asking God why He can’t change my situation now.
But then, doing those unproductive things won’t change our situation. It will not get better because we do not have any good counsel from Facebook or movies. We only have it from His Word. So, during these instances, prayer works best. Pray until we see changes in the way we handle the same situation we are mourning. Pray until we see things get better. The power of prayer is always the best solution.
Dear friend, if God does not change your situation, look beyond your stress, struggle, or condition. Might be that you can be a minister to those who suffer the same in the future.
You are loved dearly by Him. Do not feel bad when He does not change it now. You will see that this is in your long-term interest. Be patient.
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