He is For Us

There’s a running theme these days in my prayer and it’s the line “He is for us.”

Sometimes it’s hard to believe that God is for us, especially if we look at our short term circumstances. At times, they just don’t make sense or seem difficult to get through. 

Perhaps it's a sin you’ve been struggling with, a circumstance that seems to set you back, a burden that’s weighing on you, a wound or illness that hasn’t been healed, a dream that hasn’t come to fruition, or a desire that is unmet. I’ve experienced all of these things and have wondered sometimes if God is against me. In the here and now, things don’t seem to be looking that good.

But with God’s grace, I have come to believe that God is for us. I see evidence of that in my life. Time has taught me that my lens is short term. God’s lens is long term. God is for us over the long haul, but it may appear that He is not in the short term because we can’t see the whole picture of what He is doing.

I was reminded of this when on my way back from Confession on Saturday, I saw the line “Good things take time” written on the side of a restaurant. Indeed! The good things of God do take time.

Praying the Ignatian Examen every night has undoubtedly helped me see this truth. The Examen prayer helps us look back on where God was during our day. I’ve extended the prayer beyond daily to looking back on my week, month, and even year. In doing so, I have been able to see God’s movement in my life over a longer stretch of time. If you’re challenged in seeing that God is for you, I recommend this prayer practice - especially looking back over a longer stretch of time.

So many of our struggles in faith come down to trusting that God is for us and that He wants what’s best for us.

What would happen if we started believing and living in this truth?