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When Relief Doesn’t Come!
February 22, 2010
When life turns sour and tensions build why is there no relief? Good health that was always enjoyed is now a fleeting memory. Our head throbs with tension and our heart is broken by rejection. Why is there no relief? My circumstances are agitated by friends who mean well, as they offer their counsel that does not soothe nor provide the spiritual salve for my soul that I so desperately need. Why is there no relief?
Our soothing message of modern Christianity says relief is available and will surely bring me all that I need. I guess my faith needs to be increased. Maybe I need to pray more. I should read the Scriptures more frequently. Serve the Lord more fervently. Surely all of these or some of these will bring me the relief that I need.
I do not make light of any of these and certainly they all need to be practiced regularly; however, if they don’t quench our thirst, what then?
Since my soul is thirsty do I dig a spiritual well and drink, but only after all the modern Christian authors tell me where to dig and what kind of shovel to use? Do I try another discipleship program, another conference, another retreat, a new strategy of prayer… and the list goes on. These are all good things to do but what if relief still doesn’t come? What next?
We all desire at times to extricate ourselves from the tangled complexities of life and (excuse me) simplistic preaching that fails to deal with life as it really is. Life has pain. Life has problems. Life has difficulties. Life has issues. So why is there no relief? Doesn’t my thirsty soul have a right to find water from great depths?
Maybe the relief that I seek and long for will come in a different format than I expect.
Could the relief I am looking for be found in the “transformation of my character?” Real change from the inside out is possible and that may be just what God is ordering in your life right now.
Some of you will remember the ROLAIDS commercial from several years back, it went something like this:
“How do you spell 'relief'? R. O. L. A. I. D. S!”
It was a catchy little jingle that many of us laughed about. While it was a successful marketing strategy for their anti-acid pill, it doesn’t really help the issues of the soul that we all face.
We constantly live with our “inner man”, so when relief doesn’t come where do we turn?
- More hoops to jump through?
- More things to do?
- More prayers to offer?
- More Scriptures to memorize?
Again, I fear that you will believe that I am minimizing these but I am not. I am simply saying that a “soul check” may be in order.
Psalm 46 may provide a very important thing for us today, especially if we feel that relief is not coming. Consider please verse 10:
“…be still and know that I am God…”
Sometimes God works by the therapy of stillness. Maybe our seeking of relief is not the answer. Maybe waiting is. What if “soul surgery” requires a special time ofserenity and silence? I am more persuaded today than ever before, there is no way you and I can move toward a deeper, more intimate relationship with our God without protracted times of stillness.
I did a little research on the verse before us today; (Psalm 46:10) here are some observations from others.
- “…cease striving, and know that I am God, stand silent, know that I am God…”
- “…let be and be still, and know…recognize and understand…that I am God…”
- “..give in…He cries…admit that I am God, stop fighting…and know that I am God…”
So - when relief doesn’t come the way you want it to come, maybe it’s because God is going to work another way.
“…be still and know that I am God…”
There is therapy in silence and stillness!
Pastor Sears
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