Almost everyone I know is dealing with "stuff."
A friend of ours took his own life this past Thursday night. He and his wife had been an active part of a marriage ministry class we taught at our house in recent years. He had decided to split up with his wife and two recently adopted kids. A female friend at work had told him last summer, "I've always liked you, George." (named changed, of course) This thought stayed with him and then he was convinced his wife wouldn't change her ways and never stop being disappointed in him. I told him right after it was announced to his wife that he was messing up his life and urged him to stop this course and stick it out. He didn't. He seemed very aware of what he was doing, the cost it was taking, and he acknowledged that his wife had every reason to be furiously mad with him. I asked him a couple weeks ago if he thought there was a chance to reconcile with his wife, who had moved to another state with the boys. He said no, but apparently was talking about plans to sell the house here and move up there. And then this. What a shock. I can only imagine what kept him from seeing any hope. This is a supremely sad situation.
I have another friend whose large family is experiencing very trying circumstances. They're going through an ugly divorce and many of the adult children are making very questionable choices.
Two friends last week or so told me on the same day that they were going through a divorce.
A friend in the music industry is adapting to life in a changing environment. His former method of income has been gone for almost a year now.
Another friend has been looking for a job to support him and his family for five months now.
HM has been struggling with a shrinking cashflow due to lower ad sales, which is normally the chief source of income for a magazine.
This is only a partial list of things I pray for/about in recent times. It seems like everyone I know is dealing with some struggle. I don't necessarily think this is all the work of the devil; but then again, isn't that his modus operandi? Doesn't he sow discord and wreak havoc whenever he can? The key lesson from Job (or one of them) is certainly that satan is a very finite being that can only do what he's been given permission to do. God allowed him to take everything from Job but his life. The fallen angel certainly utilized his area of destruction, taking out Job's crops, livestock and children in one day.
Maybe the majority or all of this stuff is the result of a spiritual enemy attacking. It certainly seems like he had it in for my friend George. I don't know. Perhaps there is a good work on the horizon that he is trying to thwart. Maybe the return of Christ is imminent. Maybe a revival is a few days away. Maybe it's just random fallen-ness hitting close to home. I can't explain it. I can only wonder.
But I don't wonder too long. There's not much that can be accomplished with complaining. It's okay to vent. We are people. Sometimes we need that. But dwelling in the place of complaint is a trap.
Posted by Doug Van Pelt at May 13, 2007 09:05 AMOn Sunday, our church bulletin printed a profound quote from John Calvin that seems appropriate here:
"We have a diseased but deeply-rooted principle in our nature, which leads us to hide our griefs, and ruminate upon them, instead of relieving ourselves at once by pouring out our prayers and complaints before God. The consequence is, that we are distracted more and more with our distresses, and merge into a state of hopeless despondency."
It's from his commentary on Psalm 62:
On God rests my salvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, my refuge is God.
Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us.
May we NEVER forget the One in Whom we can confide everything, and Who never tires of hearing us pour out our hearts to Him.