Sometimes life has surprises for us, often painful surprises. It catches us off guard. It breaks us. It confuses us. It is these surprises that get our attention the most. We may be so caught up with life and the glamour that it has to offer, we can't see whats in front of us. We are focused on lifeless things. We go front one pleasant experience to another without appreciating the experiences themselves. We lack emotion and life in things we do. We forget what matters the most in life. We are blinded by our worldly dreams. We can't appreciate "now". We forget that "life" is a gift with an unknown expiration date worth living now. Rather than focus on the gift at hand, we chose to chase the promised gifts of this world that may never come. Fortunately, difficulties are here to help and change us for better. They are here to bring emotion and meaning to life. They are here to revive the experiences we are gifted with. They are here to make our experiences real.
When we are faced with difficulties, we often don't know how to respond. It is an unfamiliar and unpleasant territory. We haven't been here before. We don't like the situation we are in. We don't see any good in this. We don't see an easy way out. We become hopeless. We don't see much hope for a better future. We often feel like nobody can can help us now. Nobody can understand us. Nobody cares for us. We are all in our own. To make things worse, it often seems like we have more problems than solutions. Whenever we solve one problem, another problem comes up; often a bigger problem. The good life we had is gone for good. Life will be a battle now. Little do we know that whats gone is our attitude not the good life we though we had.
The future we had planned for us doesn't seem like it is going to happen. We are crushed. We are in a desperate place hopeless, hoping a miracle will change our outcome and we will get back to our old lifeless life. We need someone to hear our worries and soften our hearts. We need someone who answers prayers and can change our outcome immediately. We turn to God, our last resort. We utter a prayer we haven't said in a long time. With desperation we say: "God, if you are there please help me. I really need your help. If you can get me our of this problem, I will forever be grateful to you. And we probably say, we won't ask for your help again!" The God we couldn't afford much time and appreciation to in the past is the only thing worth devoting our time to now. Change is happening. Our thoughts are shaping. Our weaknesses are enabling us. We are making progress.
We pray to God for help with much hope expecting instant results. We know God is all powerful, capable of doing anything. We tell God and convince ourselves that; if God helps us, we will believe in Him, wholeheartedly." We have a timeline and an idea of how God needs to respond to us. We know whats best for us. God needs to succumb to our ways. He needs to be fast and effective with His power. The outcome of this prayer determines God's worth to us. If God is slow to respond, He is not worth worshiping, and if God is fast to respond to us, He is a mighty God that we will only honor and worship until we see a brighter future. Then God is forgotten. He only exists when we need Him.
But no, God will not listen to us because we need Him. He will not yield to our ways. He has rules that we must abide to if we want His help. It starts will humility and worship. There is a process that God wants us to go through. He wants us to experience life the fullest. He wants us to go through life with ups and downs and be content throughout. He will allow us to struggle with this difficulty until we change our condition. God tells us in the Qur'an: "Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves. Qur'an 13:11"
God in the above verse informs mankind that whatever difficulty we are in, has a purpose. It is there for a reason. The difficulty will not depart until we change our condition; meaning our old ways. It may be a bad habit that we need to get rid of. It may be that we are wasting our gifts when we have potential for more. Or it may be time that we need a difficulty to get us going. The harvesting season is almost here yet our tools are not sharpened yet.
Human beings are impatient. We always want instant results. If we do not see action immediately, we try to take control to change things ourselves. No matter our efforts we are against a big wall. Only this time, this wall is greater and built specifically to stop us from moving forward. God wants us to stand still. He wants to equip us to bypass the wall.
God in the above verse informs mankind that whatever difficulty we are in, has a purpose. It is there for a reason. The difficulty will not depart until we change our condition; meaning our old ways. It may be a bad habit that we need to get rid of. It may be that we are wasting our gifts when we have potential for more. Or it may be time that we need a difficulty to get us going. The harvesting season is almost here yet our tools are not sharpened yet.
Human beings are impatient. We always want instant results. If we do not see action immediately, we try to take control to change things ourselves. No matter our efforts we are against a big wall. Only this time, this wall is greater and built specifically to stop us from moving forward. God wants us to stand still. He wants to equip us to bypass the wall.
Seeing that God is not responding to us on our time, we immediately become concerned. Our prayers have been fruitless. What is it this time. Why will it take to get us out of this difficulty. We start to analyze the situation at hand and have our opinions heard. We utter to ourselves: "He (God) is more concerned about other people. He doesn't want to listen to me. I'm not good enough for Him. Maybe I have to many unforgiven sins that I need to repent to before God will listen to me. If we had any faith and belief in God there isn't much left of them.
We start analyzing and planning things, thinking of different ways to plead to God for help. Maybe if we prayed harder, we would get an answer to our prayer. Maybe we are not sacrificing enough. Now that we have thought things little we jump right into action. We are hasty. We immediately pray harder and sacrifice something in hopes of getting our prayers answered. We meditate in the word of God and become more religious. We start worshipping God like we never have before. We fast in hopes of getting God to listen to us. We wait impatiently hoping to see our prayers answered. Unfortunately, we don't see much change. We don't get what we prayed for. We end up with a big No. Or it may be something we wouldn't chose for ourselves. So we become displeased with God and question if worshipping God is even worth it.
Why is God ignoring me? I tried my best to get close to Him. I did everything I could in my power. Maybe He doesn't care for me. Or maybe God doesn't exist. After all, a loving God wouldn't allow His children to suffer. We are feeling sorry for ourselves and trying to justify what is happening. If only we understood the way God works, we would be happier and more patient.
God's plans are greater than our plans. He did not create us just to wonder around and indulge excessively in matters that bring us no good. He created us with a propose that He intends to use us for. His dreams for us are not to be happy with instant results, rather He wants us to be happy by not getting the results we wanted and expected. He wants us to grow and mature in contentment, because contentment brings more rewards.
True contentment is being happy with what God gives us not what we want to have. If God throws a difficulty our way, its his way of pushing us harder. He is growing us in things we lack. If God is silent temporarily, its his way of allowing us to grow and face problems in our own. He knows we are capable of finding results ourselves. If God makes us wait, He wants to teach us patience. If God helps us, He wants to teach us that He truly is most-great, all powerful. If God allows us to suffer, He wants us to change for better. And if God intends to help us immediately, He wants us to be obedient and thankful always.
In the Qur'an, God makes it very clear about the nature of human beings. He says referring to mankind: "It may be that you like a thing which is bad for you and that you dislike a thing which is bad for you. God knows you know not. Qur'an 2:216" God explicitly informs us that man is created with desires and lack of understanding. We learn at the very young age to indulge in certain things. We give in to our desires very easy. Later as time passes and we grow older, we learn that those things we indulged in were actually bad for us. We wish we could change the past and not suffer the consequences now. Similarly, God knows whats best for us. He often blesses us with difficulties and by not answering our destructive prayers.
In any difficulty and at all times, we need to realize that God knows best. He is always in control. Whatever He allows to happen is because of His will. Whatever plans He has for our lives, He will make sure they come to pass. He has the best interest for us. Whatever situation we are in, we need to realize that everything has been decreed. We have some power but God holds all power. His ways are always better than ours.
We need to always remember God and have him in our hearts in good and bad times with an appreciative spirit. We need to revolve our lives around God, not God around our lives. When we remember God, clouds of worry and fear are driven away, and the mountains that make up our problems are blown away. His remembrance carries with it the meaning of total dependence upon Him, of turning to Him for aid, of having good thoughts about Him, and of waiting for victory from Him. Truly, He is near when supplicated: He hears when He is called, and He answers when He is invoked. So humble yourself before Him and ask of Him sincerely. Repeat His beautiful blessed name, and mention Him as being alone worthy of worship. Mention His praises, supplicate to Him, and ask forgiveness from Him: you will then find - by the will of Allah- happiness, peace, and illumination. It starts with, let your will be done o mighty God. Your ways are the best ways. Whatever situation I am in, you have decreed it for me, because you know whats best for me.
-F.D
Why is God ignoring me? I tried my best to get close to Him. I did everything I could in my power. Maybe He doesn't care for me. Or maybe God doesn't exist. After all, a loving God wouldn't allow His children to suffer. We are feeling sorry for ourselves and trying to justify what is happening. If only we understood the way God works, we would be happier and more patient.
God's plans are greater than our plans. He did not create us just to wonder around and indulge excessively in matters that bring us no good. He created us with a propose that He intends to use us for. His dreams for us are not to be happy with instant results, rather He wants us to be happy by not getting the results we wanted and expected. He wants us to grow and mature in contentment, because contentment brings more rewards.
True contentment is being happy with what God gives us not what we want to have. If God throws a difficulty our way, its his way of pushing us harder. He is growing us in things we lack. If God is silent temporarily, its his way of allowing us to grow and face problems in our own. He knows we are capable of finding results ourselves. If God makes us wait, He wants to teach us patience. If God helps us, He wants to teach us that He truly is most-great, all powerful. If God allows us to suffer, He wants us to change for better. And if God intends to help us immediately, He wants us to be obedient and thankful always.
In the Qur'an, God makes it very clear about the nature of human beings. He says referring to mankind: "It may be that you like a thing which is bad for you and that you dislike a thing which is bad for you. God knows you know not. Qur'an 2:216" God explicitly informs us that man is created with desires and lack of understanding. We learn at the very young age to indulge in certain things. We give in to our desires very easy. Later as time passes and we grow older, we learn that those things we indulged in were actually bad for us. We wish we could change the past and not suffer the consequences now. Similarly, God knows whats best for us. He often blesses us with difficulties and by not answering our destructive prayers.
In any difficulty and at all times, we need to realize that God knows best. He is always in control. Whatever He allows to happen is because of His will. Whatever plans He has for our lives, He will make sure they come to pass. He has the best interest for us. Whatever situation we are in, we need to realize that everything has been decreed. We have some power but God holds all power. His ways are always better than ours.
We need to always remember God and have him in our hearts in good and bad times with an appreciative spirit. We need to revolve our lives around God, not God around our lives. When we remember God, clouds of worry and fear are driven away, and the mountains that make up our problems are blown away. His remembrance carries with it the meaning of total dependence upon Him, of turning to Him for aid, of having good thoughts about Him, and of waiting for victory from Him. Truly, He is near when supplicated: He hears when He is called, and He answers when He is invoked. So humble yourself before Him and ask of Him sincerely. Repeat His beautiful blessed name, and mention Him as being alone worthy of worship. Mention His praises, supplicate to Him, and ask forgiveness from Him: you will then find - by the will of Allah- happiness, peace, and illumination. It starts with, let your will be done o mighty God. Your ways are the best ways. Whatever situation I am in, you have decreed it for me, because you know whats best for me.
-F.D