“In the words of my counselor and friend, ‘It’s not a mess!’ It may look like one, but trust that God is working in all things.”

— Tina & Dave Samples, Messed Up Men of the Bible

Have you ever had a knot that you couldn’t untangle? Wet shoelaces, necklaces, or fishing lines? Yesterday, I blew my hair dry upside down, and when I stood up, I had the worst knot ever. I rubbed conditioner through my hair, quickly trying to loosen it before my lunch guest arrived. I would have cut it out, but this was bigger than usual, and I don’t have that much hair! I heard the doorbell, so I just combed over it and left it for later. 

My friend and I had a wonderful visit catching up over the past few years, and she never mentioned my knot. I went through the rest of the day like this because I’d agreed to drive my son on errands right after lunch. It’s not like me to live with a knot, let alone go in public with one. Since he’s on crutches, I went into the school, the music store, and a fast-food restaurant for him. Back home, we laughed that I was beginning to make dreadlocks. My son is experienced with this kind of thing, so he coached me on how to get it out.  “Come on Mom, you can do it.” He encouraged me, “It took me a whole day to comb out my dreadlocks and I did it.” All I could envision was his bathroom counter covered in broken pieces of hair.

I finally got it out. In the process, I reflected on some of the other “knots” I’ve experienced in life - problems and pains much worse than a hair knot to resolve. Some days, I felt such despair I thought I would never get through. Yet God has been faithful to me. He’s not only a master detangler but a grand weaver who creates something beautiful in the process.

Encouragement from someone who has relied on God through their trials is helpful. So, in my difficult times, I’ve turned to the Psalms of David.  His life was repeatedly in danger; he was hunted by Saul and pursued by his enemies.  David’s only hope was God… and He saved him! (See Psalm 31, it’s amazing).  He says,

“Praise be to the LORD, for he showed me the wonders of his love when I was a city under siege.  In my alarm, I said, “I am cut off from your sight! Yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help.”

— Psalm 31:21-22

If life feels like a tangle of knots, will you look to God? Find encouragement by reading the Psalms or recalling God’s past faithfulness to you. Like David, he will hear your cry for mercy and help you.

There truly isn’t a knot too hard for Him!

“Be strong and take heart all you who hope in the LORD.”

— Psalm 31:24

“Of One Thing I Am Perfectly Sure:

God’s Story Never Ends with Ashes”

— Elisabeth Elliot

I’m looking at the Kaleidoscope on my desk. It’s handmade by a stained glass artist.  I see the capsule of broken glass pieces facing me – colors of blue, green, purple, and red.  Their sharpness takes me back. I remember the raw edges of pain, the shattering of my heart.

Perhaps you feel it now and you’re wondering what to do with all those broken pieces. In the moment, we want to turn back the clock, resist the reality we’re facing, or just scream from the pain we cannot define.

It might seem difficult to imagine any good coming after this. For the moment you might just need to survive.

But, I can tell you that God is faithful. He’s with you. He will be your friend that sticks closer than a brother. He is the God of compassion who will hold and comfort you. You will never be alone because God will never leave you or forsake you. You might have a hard time envisioning it now, but God works for your good, He turns beauty from ashes, makes the desert grow, and He will bring joy again. No word of God can be thwarted, and that includes His promises to you.  In Him, we find our hope.

What can you do?  Still your heart and know that He is God.  Surrender, trust, and follow Him. He will lead you by streams of still waters and restore your soul. Yield to Him and he will make something good even out of your pain.

In time you will see a kaleidoscope of beauty, from all those broken pieces.

“May the LORD bless you and keep you;
may he make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
may the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace. ”

— Numbers 6:24-25

(Additional scripture references: Psalm 33:4, Proverbs 18:24, Psalm 116:5, Deut. 31:8, Romans 8:28, Isaiah 61:3, Isaiah 43:19, Job 42:2, 1 Tim. 4:10, Psalm 46:10, Psalm 62:8, Deut. 13:4, Psalm 23).

“Let the King of my heart
Be the mountain where I run
The fountain I drink from
Oh, He is my song”

— Lyrics from King of My Heart

I looked around the room in church one Sunday when singing the above song about God (King of my Heart) and wondered if I was the only one who couldn’t join in the chorus. God had let me down, badly.

How about you? Has injustice hurt you or those you love, has God allowed a tragedy or illness that doesn’t make sense, have you felt blind-sided and unprotected?

Does it feel like He’s let you down?

I suppose it’s how we look at it.

My hardships have tested my faith. I’ve come to realize that although the world crumbles in trouble and my circumstances don’t always work out how I’d hoped, God is faithful through the trials.

A quick look back into the Bible I can see this to be true. Stephen was stoned to death for his faith. Did God let him down? Well, Stephen was given a beautiful vision of heaven as he was being martyred and filled with such peace and love that he prayed for God to not hold this sin against those killing him (Acts 7:54-60). Stephen went to heaven as a worshipper and an inspiration to many. God gave him the grace to be martyred as a victor. And he will certainly wear a victor’s crown and reign with Christ in eternity. Was God faithful? I’d say, “Yes.”  

What about the apostle Paul, missionary and author of much of the New Testament? He faced floggings, shipwreck, imprisonment, false arrest, poverty, derision, and a thorn in his flesh. Yet God said, “My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness.” Did God ever make his calling easy? No, in fact Paul suffered very much for the gospel. Yet, through all this suffering Paul tells believers to rejoice in the Lord and to pray with thanksgiving. He told them, “The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).” Paul said these things because he knew them first hand; he had God’s PEACE! Was God faithful? Again, I’d say, “Yes.”

Both Stephen and Paul could have felt let down by God, but their eyes were on something different than their circumstances.  They were living for Him no matter the cost.

In our lives, we might experience a miraculous rescue story. Or, we might get through an unchanging, difficult circumstance with the strength and grace God provides.  Either way, He’s faithful.

Instead fixating on the story you want, will you look for God’s grace instead? In that arena, “He’s never gonna let you down.”