Monday

9 Reasons Why God Might Not Rescue You - Part I

“For when we came into Macedonia, this body of ours had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn—conflicts on the outside, fears within,” (2 Cor. 7:5). 


The New King James translation of this verse uses the painfully descriptive phrase “hard pressed” to describe Paul’s trials. “We were hard pressed on every side.” The origin of this phrase comes from the practice of squeezing a fruit or vegetable (grapes, olives) to extract its juice.


Some days (weeks, months, seasons, years) I feel hard-pressed. Like life has me between a mortar and pestle and is pounding me into fine dust. I know you can relate, because I’ve heard your stories.

You sweat and groan and weep and rage and cannot find relief. The intense pressure doesn’t stop. You plead for rescue, yet the vise of life’s circumstances squeezes tighter and tighter until you think you might scream, and sometimes you do. “Why doesn’t God rescue me?” you cry, and the question echoes back. “Why?”

I believe there are at least nine reasons why God sometimes chooses not to rescue us. If you’re feeling hard-pressed today or know someone who is, I invite you to prayerfully consider these reasons and ask the Lord to show you which might apply to your situation.

Why God Chooses Not to Rescue Us 

1. We don’t believe he can.
God works in response to faith. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without faith, it is impossible to please him. For God to answer our prayers, we “must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Heb. 11:6). Our lack of faith can be a huge hindrance, not because God can’t overrule our faithlessness, but because he won’t. He never forces faith on someone. Thankfully, all it takes is the faith of a mustard seed to invite God to work in our lives. It's not how much faith we have, but in whom our faith rests that matters.



2. We have sin in our lives .
We cannot willfully choose to disobey God (Is. 59:2) and expect him to bless us. As human parents, we withhold blessings from our children when they rebel against us. God often does the same. More important than health, wealth, and happiness is whether we have a right relationship with God. He’ll often use difficult circumstances to help us realize how much we need him.


3. We need to learn to trust him. 
Our faith begins small and increases with every challenge. Like a muscle, our confidence in God’s power grows stronger the more we exercise it. Trials, heartbreaks, and circumstances beyond our control force us to turn to our all-powerful God (2 Cor. 1:9). Every time we acknowledge our weakness and see him act on our behalves, our faith grows. Before long, we have a long list of answered prayers that makes it easier and easier to trust him.

4. He knows that a rescue wouldn’t be best. 
So often we just want OUT of a difficult situation. We’re not interested in what’s best in the long term, we want relief now. I remember when my daughter wore braces. Every month the orthodontist would tighten the wires on her teeth so much that her teeth would ache for days. If you asked her during this painful time if she wanted her braces removed, she would have said, “YES!”

Her orthodontist knew, however, that while taking off her braces would have ended her temporary suffering, it would have interfered with her longterm health and happiness. The same is true of many of our trials. The apostle Paul knew this when he wrote, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:18).

5. There’s a lesson we need to learn or a character quality we need to develop because of this situation. 

When my husband lost his job, I learned that God is our provider. When I cared for a baby with colic and another with constant ear infections, I learned patience, kindness, and unselfishness. When I worked with difficult coworkers, I learned to see them through Jesus’ eyes, not my own. Instead of asking Why? when we encounter difficulty, what if we asked What?, as in, What can I learn from this situation (James 1:3)?

Please join me next time to read four more reasons why God might not rescue us. To ensure that you don't miss it, if you haven't yet subscribed, now might be a good time.





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8 comments:

  1. Anonymous6:31 AM

    I agree with all your reasons above as to why God doesn't rescue us. I especially think that God has a lesson for us all the time and we decide in our choices whether we are willing to learn quickly or if we drag our feet. Blessed to be your neighbor at Beth's-Wedded Wednesday link up.

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    1. Thanks so much for stopping by, neighbor!

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  2. Parenting has helped me understand that God's rescue is not always the best for us. You gave me some things to think about. Thanks for this post. Cheryl (www.sinceibecameamom.blogspot.com)

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    1. You aren't kidding. Parenting has taught me so much about the father heart of God and his desire for my best, even if it doesn't seem "best" to me at the time. Thanks for stopping by today.

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  3. Oooh, great thoughts! I shared on pinterest :)

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    1. Thank you, Brittany. I do appreciate the share!

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  4. Anonymous7:15 AM

    Good morning Lori. Thank you so much for this article. This reading was confirmation and directions of next steps to continue my relationship with God. I am really going through right now but this time I chose to hold on cry out to God talk to Him as I would with a friend. I’m learning my part in situations through the reading of scriptures. As I read your story my heart just pounded and my mouth open because I know now I’m not alone and I learned it’s how I react and respond to my trials. I thank God for you and for blessing you to share and help others. God Bless you. Anna

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    1. I'm praying for you, Anna, that God will draw you ever closer to His heart, fulfill His good plan for your life, and meet your every need according to His riches and glory. God's blessings to you, my friend.

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