I waited patiently for the LORD, and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD. Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. Psalm 40:1-4
When Faith Hurts
Is God present in the deafening silence that sometimes occurs while we wait? Dina, a young Muslim girl who became a Christian, could testify from her own experience that even when God is silent, He is never still. Not when Dina’s mother forced her out of the house because of her faith in Jesus. Not when Muslim extremists detonated a bomb at Dina’s church. Not when a second bomb exploded near her and caused her permanent hearing damage. Not when police interrogated and then assaulted her after she reported the incident. Not when the university she attended banned her from campus because of her Christian faith. Through it all, Dina remained faithful to God.
Adding Insult to Injury
God seemed silent when Dina’s pastor husband, Ali, faced imprisonment several times for his ministry work. Police often threatened Ali and pressured him to leave the country. After returning from a conference in a nearby country, Ali was caught crossing the national border with a bag full of Bibles. Interrogations and an overnight prison stay followed. Ali returned home the next evening and died overnight of a sudden heart attack, possibly due to being drugged at the border. Had Dina waited so patiently . . . for this?
Without a husband and father in their family, Dina and her children could have abandoned their faith. At every turn, God seemed to be challenging them, as if daring them to continue trusting in Him while He detonated their hopes and left them to pick up the broken and smoldering pieces, like the debris in the church explosions years before. Were they waiting on God for naught?
The suffering continued. Dina and her children had to move often when their neighbors discovered they were Christians. In one neighborhood, the kids beat her children and called them infidels. Six months into her job as a Russian teacher at a university, Dina’s employer forced her to choose between her church membership and her position. She decided to resign from this job.
Purpose in the Pain
For years, Dina’s Muslim relatives had blamed all of her misfortunes on her Christian faith. But then an uncle surprised her with these words: “You are some woman. You are not broken in spite of this problem. You are pure and not spoiled. I can see that God is doing something in your heart.”
Suddenly Dina’s suffering pulsed with purpose. Her waiting had been worthwhile. God was using the shattered pieces of her life to create a beautiful mosaic — one which proclaimed His power, glory and goodness to all who beheld it.
Are you carrying a heavy burden today? Do you feel your season of waiting will never pay off? Before you give in to the temptation to give up, pray for a fresh perspective of your pain. Remember God sees the whole mosaic when you can only see one piece. Trust His artisanship — He has yet to ruin a canvas.
Article by Cam Edwards
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