Picture an ant. That ant is trying to talk to you. How would that ant feel? You are so much more pow4erful. You can do so many more things. You have so much more knowledge, and you’ve experienced so much more.
That is a good way to think about the difference between God, the Creator of the universe, and us. He wants to hear from you. But, you and I need to realize who He is when we pray. We need to accept that He doesn’t have to listen to us. He chooses to because He loves us. It is only by His grace that He can hear us.
Let’s look back at the Shunammite woman. When Elisha tells her that she will have a son, she says not to tease her or lie to her. Did she lack faith? Yes. But, she also realized that she was a servant – a handmaid. She was saying, “Look, I know the Lord of the universe doesn’t have to hear my prayers. He could just ignore me. I have not yet had a son. If it’s not to be, don’t make me think it will happen.”
Elisha didn’t scold her for her lack of faith. Indeed, another woman who had a miracle child, Sarah, was only lightly scolded when she lacked faith. It was more Sarah’s scornful laughter that God disliked. He didn’t destroy her, though. He understood how frail she was. So, He gave her a simple reminder. He told her to call the boy Isaac. Isaac means “laughter” in Hebrew. She would always remember that even though she doubted and was scornful, God could still help her.
We can be bold with God because he tells us to be. He understands our needs in a way we can’t understand an ant. Jesus, God in the flesh, suffered in all ways like us, yet He never sinned, because He is God. Our emotions and ups and downs and everything are all things we can show God. He simply wants us to go humbly to Him.
So, if you find yourself doubting, that’s fine. If you’re upset with God, that’s fine. He doesn’t want you to stay mad. He wants you to turn toward Him, and tell Him all your problems. He wants you to humbly ask for His help.
There are many cases of people in the Bible who were helped because they were willing to let their feelings show. As we’ll see later, Bible heroes such as Jeremiah, David and Elijah even suffered severe depression. What did they have that others lacked? They were willing to wait on God to provide an answer. They had enough faith to trust that God would help them. And, they were humble enough to realize it might not be the answer they expected; just like the Shunammite woman never expected a child.
