dear brother,
As I read your request for prayer, so many images of past struggles came to mind, some of those images are well over 2000 years old, back to the days where the greatest battle this world has ever seen was fought. It was epic. A moment in our time when the Creator Himself entered our reality with such force, that a re-set of time was needed to separate the old from the new, the promise from the fulfillment, the unveiling of the unseen realm. Someone, had come from that unseen realm to explain it to us in our own words. I cannot fathom what that assignment must have felt like. I look at it this way: If I had Created a perfect being in my own image and likeness and had created a place for them to enjoy their company for my good pleasure and suddenly they were cut off from me due to an act of their own free will that I gave them, where I could no longer talk to them face to face like I used to because it would destroy them; how can I talk to them face to face again? There is only one way that could be done, I had to become one of them. Just to put it in perspective, think of how much would you like to become a maggot to be able to speak to other maggots.
An so He came, as one of us. Suffered like all of us, was tempted like all of us, and conquered like none of us could have ever been able to. His life, is the greatest gift mankind has ever received from His hand. It has given us the power to overcome IN HIM everything the spoiler throws at us. None of us would ever go thru anything He did not conquered. Have your friends and family forsaken you? check mark!, Do you feel alone?, check mark!, been there, done that, bring it! whatever it is the world is piling on you, He says,PUT IT ON MY SHOULDERS, I CAN TAKE IT!
And now, let me address those pesky whispers from the pit of Hell. The Lord said; 18"Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgretion of the remnant of His heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.19-He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us, he will subdue our iniquities; and thou WILL CAST ALL THEIR SINS INTO THE DEPTHS OS THE SEA. 20- Thou will perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, WHICH THOU HAST SWORN UNTO OUR FATHERSFROM THE DAYS OF OLD"(Micah 7:18-20)
Question for you: If God has promised to cast away your sins and your transgressions, and bury them in the depths of the sea to be remembered no more, Why on Earth are you dwelling on a past that God has forgotten? Cast those thoughts away! You don't have to "feel" forgiven, you just have to acknowledge that you ARE FORGIVEN IN HIS BLOOD. Not a day goes by in my life that I don't go for a swim in that precious blood. Our battle is a daily affair. We were told to be vigilant, bringing every thought captive thru the filter of the mind of God.
Take a visual tour of Psalm 22.
Regarding your doubt that God is reaching even when you feel you don't. Go to verse 24,"For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither had he hid his face from him, BUT WHEN HE CRIED UNTO HIM, HE HEARD"
Brother, just to nail this one down to the cross, let us go to just 2 of the hundreds of examples given for us as re-assurance that our God does not have a hearing problem. First, the book of Psalms to look at David and his thoughts. 94:9 "He that planted the ear, SHALL HE NOT HEAR? HE THAT FORMED THE EYE, SHALL HE NOT SEE? Mmmmm, let me think about that for a minute...yep, no hearing aids for the Lord of Heaven and Earth.
and now my all time favorite, Daniel 9:21-23 "Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. 22-and he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding, 23- AT THE BEGINNING OF THY SUPPLICATIONS THE COMMANDMENT CAME FORTH,AND I AM COME TO SHEW THEE; FOR THOU ARE GREATLY BELOVED; THEREFORE UNDERSTAND THE MATTER,AND CONSIDER THE VISION". I get goose bumps every time I read that passage. It states, unequivocally, that God indeed hears our prayers. Daniel had been praying for 3 weeks, before Gabriel was able to punch thru a demonic realm to deliver the message to him, and called for help to get thru from a warrior angel(Michael),but the prayer was acknowledged from the start!
Do not fret, do not doubt in whom you have believed. the fact that you are here, asking for help to understand and to get back on track shows were your heart is. We all have issues with bad choices made in the past. We also know we have been forgiven, and out of that forgiveness comes the wisdom to deal with the consequences of our past bad choices. the great news for you is you've been here for only 24 years. there are others(ahem!)that have had a much longer opportunity to really make a mess of their life. So, cheer up! Be glad you are turning over the driving wheel to the one who paved the path to follow, and went thru life without getting a "ticket". God is faithful even when we are not. trust in Him. I do and so do the thousands that search for sites like this. be blessed. im4gvn2.
