Have you ever been in a situation that seemed like such a tangled mess you simply couldn't make sense of it?
Like trying to straighten out a tangled necklace, you wonder how in heavens did all these knots get kinked and twisted and pulled so tight. And in the midst of trying to untangle a knot on one side you inadvertently form another on the other end.
It's frustrating when this happens with a piece of jewelry. And it's even more frustrating when it happens in relationships.
The other day I sat down to pray about a messy relationship I'm trying to help someone with and the knots were so consuming I couldn't even begin to make sense of it all. I didn't even know what to pray. I kept trying to think of wise words to offer up to the Lord that would surely unlock pieces and parts of this mess.
But I was completely without a drop of insight.
All I could see was a mess.
So, that's all I prayed, "Lord this is a mess."
And then I just sat quietly and waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Y'all that waiting time makes a doing girl like me feel like my nerves are going to bust out of my skin and start yanking my limbs into action. So, with all might, I made myself sit and say nothing at all except, "Lord, this is a mess."
And you know what? It was stinkin' hard to sit there with no answers. No wise words to pray. My usually very verbal self couldn't express anything but, "Lord, this is a mess."
I believe it's situations like this is for which Romans 8: 26-28 was written.
"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
In our weakness we can't objectively search our mind and spirit. And often in our weakness we can't untangle our knots according to God's will. We are too intertwined and tangled up in emotion and assumption.
That's why sometimes it's best if we just simply sit quietly and let the Spirit do some groaning and untangling and working on our behalf.
Like verse 28 says, there is good to come out of this. God is working and will work good out of this mess. Sometimes I think the only thing standing between our mess and His good work from it- is our need to sit quietly.
I'm convinced there's a reason the first four letters of Messiah spell mess. We need Him. Only the Messiah can take our mess and turn it into a untangled message of hope, forgiveness, and ultimately love.
Like trying to straighten out a tangled necklace, you wonder how in heavens did all these knots get kinked and twisted and pulled so tight. And in the midst of trying to untangle a knot on one side you inadvertently form another on the other end.
It's frustrating when this happens with a piece of jewelry. And it's even more frustrating when it happens in relationships.
The other day I sat down to pray about a messy relationship I'm trying to help someone with and the knots were so consuming I couldn't even begin to make sense of it all. I didn't even know what to pray. I kept trying to think of wise words to offer up to the Lord that would surely unlock pieces and parts of this mess.
But I was completely without a drop of insight.
All I could see was a mess.
So, that's all I prayed, "Lord this is a mess."
And then I just sat quietly and waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Y'all that waiting time makes a doing girl like me feel like my nerves are going to bust out of my skin and start yanking my limbs into action. So, with all might, I made myself sit and say nothing at all except, "Lord, this is a mess."
And you know what? It was stinkin' hard to sit there with no answers. No wise words to pray. My usually very verbal self couldn't express anything but, "Lord, this is a mess."
I believe it's situations like this is for which Romans 8: 26-28 was written.
"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
In our weakness we can't objectively search our mind and spirit. And often in our weakness we can't untangle our knots according to God's will. We are too intertwined and tangled up in emotion and assumption.
That's why sometimes it's best if we just simply sit quietly and let the Spirit do some groaning and untangling and working on our behalf.
Like verse 28 says, there is good to come out of this. God is working and will work good out of this mess. Sometimes I think the only thing standing between our mess and His good work from it- is our need to sit quietly.
I'm convinced there's a reason the first four letters of Messiah spell mess. We need Him. Only the Messiah can take our mess and turn it into a untangled message of hope, forgiveness, and ultimately love.
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