When The Rainbow Doesn't Appear

It's pouring outside. But it's one of those downpours where the clouds are moving and the sun is still slightly visible and you know it's coming. The promise. The rainbow.

So many times in my own Christian walk I have dealt with the rain. Turmoil. Complete and utter struggle. I am told countless of times, "Stand on God's word, hold fast to His promises, if you speak His will and you speak the right things He has to do what His word says He has to do."

This is true to my season now. I've been told, "Have faith! It's coming." Yet every month I lie in bed, weeping at the first of the month because I don't have rent money. The state assistance has run out. My food stamps cover enough for one week and one of my utilities gets cut off monthly and I have to pay re-connection fees.

Where is that darn rainbow?

I'm learning quickly as I grow in wisdom and seek His word that so many of us have twisted our view of scripture. Even myself. And we have done a really good job at encouraging faith and trust in areas that aren't even promises.

In fact I've seen people go so deep into their faith, on things they think are from God, that the situation really does seem to be working out. In faith, they haul out verses, you haul out verses about provision or healing or whatever's appropriate and fitting. The more you talk about it, the tidier the solution becomes, the better it sounds, the more it seems to fit. You pray like crazy, share it with people, plan accordingly. You're moving in faith. This must be God's plan.

Except it isn't. It's your plan. You're believing that God will fulfill a promise that He never made. And when He doesn't, your faith comes crashing down. You're confused, embarrassed, angry. We end up in a hole of disappointment realizing that it was simply our own hope, our own running, our own will. We have to deal with the shame and embarrassment of having to admit we are wrong, having to undue things that we've said and done to get "God's will" moving.

He didn't do what you expected--but He never said He would. You put words in God's mouth that He never said. And when your dreams didn't come true, you think He failed you.

So what do we say to the mother and father fighting for custody of their child? To the single mom who can't make ends meet? To the single person who thought they were called away when they were being told to stay put? What do we say to comfort the family who just lost a newborn son or to the child whose being abused?

The rainbow seems invisible.

And I want to challenge our thinking. Because YES! Romans 8:28 does declare, "And we know that all things work together for good to whose who love God, to those who are called according to HIS purpose." 

But what if the purpose we wanted is not what He wanted? What if His idea of good for us, is not our idea of good for us. It's really unscriptural to say, "Oh Meg! God doesn't want you weeping every month because He says that through Jesus we are blessed and highly favored."

But why does having my bills paid mean I'm highly favored? And what does that say to Job and what He went through? I wanted to encourage those today, and Christians in general, that there will be times in our lives where we are putting our faith in the wrong thing. We must exercise discernment. We must pray - immensely for the truth and we must stop believing that because we are in a tough season or a refinement of fire that we are not faith filled enough. Because all He asks is for our obedience.

When Joseph sat in that prison, he was being obedient to exactly where God had him. I'm sure the rainbow was invisible at times, but who are we to say that tough season wasn't God's will? We see from scripture it was and God's idea of good for him in that moment was that jail cell.

So encouragement for today, here are a few things you can do when you are not seeing the rainbow or when you are chasing a dream you aren't clear on if it's from God or not:

1. f you're thinking "God told me," ask yourself when He said so, and how you know that it was Him. If you're leaning on your feelings, or the clues you've gathered { this is not where in the world is Carmen Sandiago }, remember you're fallible. Scripture says our hearts are deceitful. You may be setting yourself up for a big fall.

       With that part said; if you are in the fall. If you've chased a dream or a purpose you thought was of God and it wasn't, and you are realizing this. It's OK. He still loves you. It's not too late. And He still has a great purpose for you. Remember Ecclesiastes 3:11 "He has made everything beautiful in it's time..."

2. Use the correct measure of faith. Don't be impressed by how much faith someone puts in her own idea. Be encouraged by the person who submits to God's plan and in the person who knows that whatever God's good for them is, they are content because they desire His presence and fullness.

3. Pray less for your desired outcome and more for God's will. When I'm hoping for something specific, I pour my heart out to God about it. I tell Him how much I want it, and why. Then, because I know I can fall into this trap again, I spend more even more time and energy praying things like, "help me to pray the prayers you want to answer," "align my will to Your will," "I want your plan more than anything I think I want," and "put me in the center of your will."

Being very vulnerable here there have been certain things I've wanted in the last several weeks that I've gotten selfish and prayed specific prayers over. I constantly have to check myself. Because even though "I WANT" those things, God may have something more fitting for my future and my kids future.

Be encouraged today, friends. You may not see the rainbow right now. I'm not. But I know it's coming. It's still raining and just like Noah saw the rain for forty days and forty nights he still had to deal with the land drying. He didn't see the rainbow until he was OUT OF the boat. So, hold fast. You may, like me, still be waiting for the land to try.

- Meg

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