"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised." Job 1:21 (NIV)
When you are a baby Christian, God gives you a lot of confirming emotions, and often answers the most immature, self-centered prayers – so you'll know he exists. But as you grow in faith, he will wean you of these dependencies.
God wants you to sense his presence, but he's more concerned that you trust him than that you feel him. Faith, not feelings, pleases God. The Bible says, "Without faith it is impossible to please God" (Hebrews 11:6 NIV).
The situations that will stretch your faith most will be those times when life falls apart and God seems nowhere to be found. This happened to Job. On a single day he lost everything – his family, his business, his health, and everything he owned. Most discouraging for Job was that for thirty-seven chapters of the Bible, God said nothing!
How do you trust God when he is silent? How do you stay connected in a crisis without communication? How do you praise God when you don't understand what's happening in your life? How do you keep your eyes on Jesus when they're full of tears? You do what Job did: "He fell to the ground in worship and said, 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised'" (Job 1:21 NIV).
Tell God exactly how you feel. Pour out your heart to God. Unload every emotion that you're feeling. Job did this when he said, "I can't be quiet! I am angry and bitter. I have to speak" (Job 7:11 TEV).
Never be afraid to tell God what's on your mind. He can handle your doubt, anger, fear, grief, confusion, and questions. And he'll never stop loving you.
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