‘Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus’ 1 Thessalonians 5:18
I think most of us find it hard to proclaim God’s Glory during the hard times when we feel alone and weak, but God’s Love is always with us. In this blog post, I’m going to try and address some issues which I think we all face and the struggles we have trying to overcome them.
Myself included: we have issues in our growing faith and sometimes those issues and doubts can last days, weeks or months. The feeling of loneliness sometimes will never escape us and become an idea that God does not exist. We feel less supported because we are running away from God and not listening to him, escaping to the bad habits we are so used to just so we can forget about the troubles going on around us. This is the work of the devil, running away from God becoming less like him and feeling not worthy of God is not what God wants. God will always love us and he will always be there for us no matter how many times we escape from the comfort of his love he will never run away (https://onlythebible.com/Poems/Footprints-in-the-Sand-Poem.html).
I find it hard giving advice but not acting on my own words, trying to proclaim God’s glory when you don’t feel worthy of it is an ongoing struggle. In Thessalonians, it says that we need to be thankful to God in all circumstances. Meaning whatever situation you are in you need to worship and honour Gods glory, this is because we belong to God and we are in his family. I find this idea of proclaiming God’s glory a difficult one because sometimes we may not feel up to it or we might feel too unclean for his glory due to sin.
I have found the friendship of other Christians really helpful as I find praying for others a lot easier than praying for my own issues, being able to have regular contact with close Christian friends has really helped me see God's glory in another perspective. I would recommend going to a Church service, youth group or Christian event if you are struggling. As seeing other people worshipping God and proclaiming his glory you may be able to get back on track as you may feel supported. But this is bittersweet, you might begin to compare your life to others but the easiest route to escape this even if you don't want to is to pray. God is always listening he might not be giving answers now or the answers may be unexpected but God always has the best plan in mind which will benefit you (Jeremiah 29:11). God's love is all around us and that is through his family (Hebrews 10:25), even if you find it hard to engage with thanking God other Christians around you are thanking God. To help thank God more is to ask for prayer and open your eyes to others around you.
I always like to go back to the story of Jonah, the story with the 'Big Fish'. Jonah messed up, didn't follow God's advice and to be honest was not following God's plan and showing God's glory. To cut the story short, Jonah got in a sticky situation and was swallowed up by a big fish (Jonah 2:2-10). God didn't give up on Jonah but sorted him out, he planned everything so Jonah could see God's love and God did not give up on Jonah. However, you see the story of Jonah the message of Jonah's story is important: God will never leave you and he has the best plan set out for your life but to be part of this you need to accept God's glory, give all your life to him and thank him every day. Now, these things can be scary and it might cause you to run away from God but prayer, fellowship and God's word will help you get through the tough times. Don't be scared to ask for prayer from others, talk to someone about your faith, download the Bible app or follow an account which will give you a verse every day even if you feel like its going over your head at least you're trying and last of all always remember that God loves you. The Bible may seem old and silly for a society which has developed so much that it might not be important in your life as an individual but its the word of God you should not ignore it, some stories are significant and prayer is the best way to overcome your questions.
I hope I have made some sense, I'm enjoying this 'blogging' thing its fun and calming for me to make a go of the thoughts which sit in my head. I want to thank all those special people who are pushing me to do this, supporting me on my Christian journey who understand my struggles and are always praying for me because that support is always a massive boost. I love you all very very much and I wouldn't be here without all of you.
Please give this a share as the message of these posts are God-given and they may be helping someone if you need pray or any advice I am always here!
Sorry if I sound so cringe in this post, all my best wishes!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU771D5AYWE
