Struggle With Me

There are days we all go through when it seems difficult to stay in the sun. Having awoken in a chipper mood, we try hard to maintain that throughout the day. Or we wake up content only to have things seem to worsen as the day goes on. We try with each hefty step to see the bright side of it all. Yet, struggle is still there and putting in the effort to just keep smiling doesn’t seem to help the situation.

I know I’ve experienced days where everything at work went well and the hours were joyful. However, once I get home one thing goes wrong and it pops my bubble. The electric bill was higher than last month. A nail found it’s way into my tire on the drive home. A text message came in, letting me know that a dear friend was in the hospital and needed prayers.

There are so many things that can go wrong in our lives that it takes a lot of effort on our part to stay positive. Thankfully, it’s okay to feel the way we do when situations like these happen. It’s okay to feel frustrated, exhausted, heartbroken, and anxious. Jesus knows we go through these things. For someone who knows all, nothing will surprise Him. We don’t always understand why this or that occurred–in some cases, we aren’t meant to–but we have Jesus who is willing to listen no matter what mood we’re in.

“If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

Matthew 21:22

Often times, when this scripture is referenced it is for a prayer request, such as one for healing or financial struggles, maybe even for a revelation of the gifts given and ministry God wishes one to have. We forget, though, the simplicity of the verse: pray, believe, and receive. In situations like those we’ve been discussing, when we pray it’s either to vent, announce ones exhaustion, or weep. If we’re praying these prayers, then we must believe He is beside us listening. If we pray and believe, we will receive the comfort we’re crying out for. It’s in these moments my heart sings the lyrics of Rend Collective’s ‘Weep With Me’:

"Weep with me
Lord will You weep with me?
I don't need answers, all I need
Is to know that You care for me
Hear my plea
Are you even listening?
Lord I will wrestle with Your heart
But I won't let You go"

These lyrics are so raw and true I doubt I’ll ever forget them. In our downpours we wonder if Jesus is even beside us in the storm and knows how we struggle. When we are so grief stricken because of heartbreak or loss we cry out, ‘Please, Lord, hear me’. When we’re overly frustrated and exhausted with the circumstances of our present lives we shout, ‘Lord, are you even listening?’. Despair can rack us to our bones and leaves us wondering if He even cares, if He even takes notice. The wondrous, beautifully miraculous thing is He does.

{Context: Lazarus has passed away. His sister, Mary (the same one who poured perfume over Jesus’s head and wiped his feet with her hair), has rushed with followers to where she was told Jesus was four days after her brother died.}

“When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. ‘Where have you laid him?’ he asked.

‘Come and see, Lord,’ they replied.

Jesus wept.”

John 11:32-35

The Lord cares for us. He knows our lives are rough; He knows of the evil world we have to live through ever day. We suffer time and again and not fully understand why sometimes, but He can see the ugliness of the enemy in the spiritual realm clear as daylight. Another beautiful thing is, when we acknowledge His presence beside us, crying out His name for help, the devil and his minions flea. Thus, if it is evil that is tormenting us, when we reach the level where we can’t take any more and we call out to Jesus, evil runs and hides. We are then left with our wounds–whether in the form of anger, sadness, fear, shame, or any other negative emotion–in our Lord’s arms. He will heal us and comfort us; all we must do is trust that He cares.