07/26/13 by Sojotales

During a situation that happened at work a few weeks ago my feelings were hurt pretty badly. I tried to cover it up and pretend that it didn’t bother me, but it was eating me up inside; especially since I saw the potential for the same thing happening again in the near future. The worry and anxiety about going through that type of situation yet again was disturbing my sense of peace. It bothered me so much that my stomach had begun to hurt over the last few weeks. This situation just seemed to get worse and worse the more I thought about it. Yesterday though was different; I got an answer I wasn’t expecting when I prayed about it. As soon as I’d stopped praying the words “turn the other cheek” came to mind.

But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. Matthew 5:39 KJV

I realized that I wasn’t being a forgiving Christian, and immediately started praying again. So many times before I’d prayed that He would change the hearts of the people involved; make them see the error of their ways; essentially I just wanted them to see that I’d been right all along. I was focusing on myself, not on God. This time when I asked Him to help me overcome the trouble that I felt was brewing I was in a completely different mental state. I’d mulled over all of the possible outcomes in my mind so often that I was just worn out. I didn’t want to go over those kinds of ideas in my head any more; I was tired of having depressing, negative thoughts. This time I went to Him really asking for help, not as I had been doing; venting my own anger, or trying to justify myself and my actions. This time I yielded the entire situation to Him saying “if it is your will that I be placed in this situation again, then so be it. I would prefer not to be placed into that kind of position again, but I know that if that’s what you have planned for me, then that is where I will go. Help me Lord. Give me the strength to do your will in whatever situation or wherever You place me.”
I prayed knowing that if God wanted me in that situation again that He would take care of me. I’ll admit that I did tell Him (more than once) that I would prefer not to have to go through that type of pain again, but that if it truly was His will then I would bow to it. Once I’d yielded myself to God’s will the peace that I’d been struggling to find settled on my shoulders almost like a physically comforting weight; like your favorite quilt gently pressing down. Little did I know that was all he was waiting for. Less than thirty minutes later I found out that I’d been worrying in vain; my circumstances changed and the situation that I’d been worrying about was completely resolved. Once I’d yielded my situation to God I realized that I had wasted over a month of my life worrying about something that I should have given to Him long ago. When I resisted those negative thoughts and turned to Him it quickly became apparent that He would take care of me in His time and that the suffering that I had been inflicting upon myself was nothing more or less than the wiles of the devil. Those whispering lies that kept running through my head completely disappeared once I passed those worries on to God. The most amazing thing that happened during this experience was that I realized that as long as I was worrying God let me just stumble along. Once I let things go He immediately strengthened my will, calmed me, and settled the problem once and for all. Today as I was reading through some Bible verses I came upon 1 Peter 5:6-10 KJV and was once again surprised by God’s word.

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

Why is it that when we are in the thick of things it is so hard to remember God’s word, but after one of those “ah ha” moments you read a verse that you’ve read so many times before and suddenly it seems to make so much sense. You see those words in a completely different light. That’s what happened when I read these verses in 1 Peter today. I knew that they were directly applicable to the situation that I’d experienced yesterday, and that God had once again given me a piece of wisdom to cherish.