“Where Is My Blessing?”

Wednesday, September 02, 2020

Thank you for answering my past questions.  I would like to ask another one please.  I have wanted so badly to change things in my life to overall happiness, to a fulfilling job, having friends, a relationship, etc.  I pray all the time and ask for these things and trust that God will show me the way.  I have been praying for about ten years now and still remain stuck in life and in pain.  After a while, I feel like maybe God wants me to search on my own to make a change.  I then look for answers on my own as well and fail time after time, becoming so discouraged.  Either way, I am unable to make a change with or without God’s help.  How do I know if He wants me to stop trying so hard or to look for answers on my own?  Is it His plan that I struggle all my life or that I just accept my life and be thankful for what it is?  I'm confused because I've always thought of Matthew 7:7.  Thank you.

Sincerely,
Adrift

Dear Adrift,

Matt 7:7 (and more specifically Matt 7:9-11) teaches that if we seek God, He will provide… but it doesn’t mean He will provide for us in the ways we expect.  Sometimes children ask their parents for a cookie, and the parents give them broccoli instead because what the child really needs is healthy calories, not junk food.  God provides in a very similar manner.  He knows what we really need, and sometimes He answers our requests in unexpected ways.

In 1 Tim 6:6, the apostle Paul explained that trusting in God combined with an attitude of contentment yields great gains.  Sometimes, our lives are already blessed; we just fail to count those blessings.  If every door seems to be shut, then the answer may be to find peace where you are.  We aren’t clairvoyant, so we can’t tell you why God hasn’t had things change in your life, but we can tell you that there are blessings hidden in life if we will accept His will above our own.  Sometimes, life seems like just a struggle, but we forget that God is disciplining us for our eternal good (Heb 12:6).  We can guarantee you that all things work together for good for those who love the Lord, but that is only true when we accept His purposes for us (Rom 8:28).

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