I Want To Be Free
“I thought by now everything would have worked out. I thought by now I would’ve accomplished my goals. I thought I’d be there by now. God if you love me so much why am I still struggling? God when will I be free?”
Do any of these things sound familiar?
When everything is going wrong, it’s easy to turn to God and say, why me? Don’t you love me? But it’s important that we don’t equate God’s love for us with what he’s doing or not doing for us. When things are tough, we might want to console ourselves by thinking God will move swiftly to free us from a place where we feel trapped, because of his goodness and love for us.
But what does it mean to be free? Freedom is what Jesus did on the cross for us. Freedom is knowing that we have eternal life with God. Freedom is finding peace in a place where we feel trapped. Freedom is still being able to worship God in spirit and in truth even when everything else around us is falling apart. Freedom is having God so deep down on the inside of us that external circumstances don’t shift our view of God’s love and goodness.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.-John 3:16
God did so much for us when he sent his only son to die on the cross for us, so that we could have relationship with God.
But even though God did all of that for us, he still wants to move in our lives. Yet it’s important that we don’t equate what God can does for us with how much we love him, or how much he loves us. Because you know what? Sometimes we’re trapped a lot longer than we thought we would be. Sometimes goals aren’t achieved. Sometimes that sick person we’ve been praying for still passes away. Does that mean God isn’t good? Does that mean God doesn’t love us? No it doesn’t.
The issues we’re dealing with will most likely be resolved, but there’ll be another one after that. How we see God, can’t change every time things don’t turn out how we would like them too, or aren’t moving at the pace we’d like.
I’m not saying we should become comfortable when life isn’t going great, or shouldn’t work towards making things better.
But loving God just as much when everything is great, and when everything is bad, is a huge step forward in our relationship with God. Paul said it perfectly in Philippians 4:11-12:
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
When everything around you seems to be crumbling, but you still feel that peace from God that surpasses human understanding, that is freedom.
Then there’s also remembering that God will work the situation together for your good.
And we know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, to those who are the called according to HIS purpose. Romans 8:28
He’s going to use your current struggle to help you bring words of wisdom to others in the future, and to keep you stable during the next struggle life may hand you. Yes, it’s amazing to be free from bad circumstances and hard situations, but the ultimate freedom is God himself.
