SILENT FRUSTRATION
Part 1

Scripture readings 1 Sam. 1

Silent Frustration. The issues in our lives that we don’t want to discuss with even our closets friends. After all you are a Christian, and Christians aren’t supposed to be having issues like this. What will people think? What would they say, if they knew you had Silent Frustrations?  Situations that trouble the inner most part of us; no, we can’t talk about it. We must continue to smile on the outside even though we are crying out for help on the inside. We shout and claim the victory in church, but as soon as the church doors are closed….Silent Frustration. 

Silent Frustration. It’s when life dishes out a blow that we can't understand. We try to figure it out and get reasons behind why we are going through what we are going through. We can’t figure out what we have done wrong to be in this situation, and why it’s taking so long for the Lord to answer us. It seems as though He has not heard your cry but you better understand it is those times when you thought He could not hear you, that He was carrying you.
You may not feel like He is, but trust me… He is!

Silent Frustration. You are silently frustrated with your mate; the more you pray the worse he gets.  You are silently frustrated with your job, the harder you work, the more they complain and pass you over for promotion. You are frustrated with your friends, your children, with the Church; most of all you are silently frustrated with the Lord. Oops, did I say that? Oh yes! If you would only admit it! You are angry with the Lord! You have been seeking him as Hannah has year after year and He has not moved (or so you think). You feel like you have been faithful to God, why hasn't he worked it out yet? Why am I still struggling? How long must I deal with this Lord? Why are you allowing the enemy to torment me? You cry out as David did:


Psalm 22:1-2 My God, my God, why are you turned away from me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my crying? O my God, I make my cry in the day, and you give no answer; and in the night, and have no rest.  SILENT FRUSTRATION!

These are the questions you are asking mentally. Oh you won’t pray it out loud or tell anybody but that is what's in your heart. Let's just be real. Deep down you are hurt and you feel like Hannah. Year after year you have waited for God to respond, you cry out, “If God will just hear me!” You’re asking, Lord are you out there? Lord do you really care about me? Do you still want me? Don’t you see what I am going through? You remind the Lord that you sit on the board of this, and are on the committee of that, and president of the so and so, and don’t forget about how you headed up the well to do meeting the right reverend came. So you can’t understand why you have… Silent Frustration.  So you cry out like Hezekiah did and remind the Lord of how you tried to served Him faithfully:

2Ki 20:3  I beseech thee, O LORD, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.

You are doing your best to be faithful to the Lord and not let Him down but you want to know why He hasn’t answered your prayer.  YOU are silently frustrated. You have no inner peace; the enemy has stolen your joy.  You smile and laugh around your friends, but when alone tears fall.  You know if you don't share it you will explode, but whom can you trust? Who will understand?  The so-called Christians around you are not helping at all. They are acting as if they have never experienced what you are going through, or wondering why it’s taking you so long to come out of it. Deep down, some of them are going worse situations, but they too must keep up the front, and let no one know that they have…. SILENT FRUSTRATION.  How many of us have it? I know you really don’t want anyone to know, but I come to tell you today God sees your silent frustration, and He has not forgotten you.  

Silent Frustration is painful and it doesn’t help that while you are going through your Silent Frustration, a person like Peninnah will tease you and flaunt their blessings in your face, because it appears that the Lord is blessing them, while your problems are getting worse with each passing day.  Or someone well meaning friend like Eli, the priest whom at first glance accuse you wrongly.   Remember it was Eli who accused Hannah of being drunk, when in fact she was praying.  He judged her from what he thought he saw, and it wasn’t until after he talked with her that he found out the truth.  That’s why it is critical that we don't judge people's situation

Mat 7:1-2  Judge not, that ye be not judged.  For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

If you are concerned about them, and don’t know what the problem is why not ask, that’s what Eli did. We don’t know what anyone is going through; we don’t have the right play God in other's lives.  That job belongs to the Lord, and He doesn’t need our help. Your accusations, which are usually false, do nothing but add more frustration and pain. They don’t need you to analyze their problems. They don’t need you to say, “What would Jesus do” when they are hurting. They need your encouragement, they words of comfort, but most of all they need your prayers!  Just pray!

Remember God does not take lightly us hurting his people. It is essential that we minister (which means servant) to each other’s needs.  

Silent Frustration.  Why does He take so long? Doesn’t He know we have deadlines? Yes, He does.  While we may not feel like He is moving in our situation, trust and know that He is working it out for you. He has His perfect way of doing things, His perfect timing of bringing things to pass, we must let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing (Jam 1:4) 

As Christians we must know that we will go through, but we have assurance in knowing that He will deliver.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous but THE LORD WILL DELIVER YOU OUT OF THEM ALL!
 Psalm 34:19

I know that a lot of you are dealing with of Silent Frustration.  You feel as though you have served God the best you know how, but those that seem to take God for granted are getting all the blessings.  You silently say to yourself, “Lord I can’t understand why they are being blessed, look at all they are doing, or all they are not doing” It seems as though the harder you serve Him the more He is stripping away.  You are right He is.  The more you cry out to be more like Him, the more He purges you and makes you into His own image… after all isn’t that what you asked?  Yet we wonder why we have Silent Frustration.

You are silently frustrated, smiling on the outside but dying on the inside. I want you to know that God has not failed to recognize your efforts. God knows that you need to be encouraged in your walk with Him. Be encouraged my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord". There are times you will have to encourage yourself as David did:

1 Sa 30:6  And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.

Yes you will have to encourage yourself! You can’t always depend on someone to be there, so stop waiting to be encouraged by someone else. Give yourself a pat on the back, give yourself a spiritual high five, and lay hands on your own body.  If not you might loose your mind waiting for someone to encourage you in your walk with the Lord, and wondering if someone loves you. Rest assured that God does loves you, and He has not forsaken you.

Silent Frustration. Your silent frustration may be on the job. You may be working somewhere where they are not paying you what you are worth, you have been passed over so many times you feel like a bridge. Don’t give up God wants you to be encouraged that your promotion is coming if you just remain steadfast. Remember your job might determine your income but through your sowing, you determine your prosperity! You see you are there for a reason if nothing more than to bless your company because a child of the King is in the house. That's right! You are a blessing to the company you work for. If you don’t believe me go into the book of Genesis and read about Joseph being in Pharaoh’s house.  Pharaoh was blessed because Joseph was in his house.  You continue to be a blessing
and stop complaining (it could be worse you could be jobless), because in due time you are going to blow up for Jesus with more than you can ever imagine! God is preparing you to receive a heavenly overflow.

Silent Frustration. Do you realize strong you are? People have committed suicide over the very same issues you are dealing with? It is God who is strengthening your inner man by His Spirit. It is God who is not allowing you to faint at the tribulations that He has for you; which is for His Glory. It is God who keeping you rooted and grounded in His love.  It is God who is blessing you with all spiritual blessing in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus, and it is God who is carrying you.  Although all you see is the misery, and your flesh wants you to give up, it’s the HOLY SPIRIT that is within you that is telling your mind that YOU WILL LIVE AND NOT DIE!

GET READY TO TEAR DOWN THE STRONGHOLD OF THE ENEMY'S DISCOURAGEMENT AND SAY GET OUT OF MY LIFE SATAN A CHILD OF GOD HAS STEPPED THROUGH THE DOOR!

………………..PART 2 Coming tomorrow

GOD'S TESTINGS

Are you passing through a testing?
Is your pillow wet with tears?
Do you wonder what the reason,
Why it seems God never hears?

Why it is you have no answer
To your oft-repeated plea,
Why the heaven still is leaden
As you wait on bended knee?

Do you wonder as you suffer,
Whether God does understand,
And if so, why He ignores you,
Fails to hold you in His Hand?

Do black doubts creep in, assail you,
Fears without, and fears within,
Till your brave heart almost falters
And gives way to deadly sin?

All God's testings have a purpose-
Some day you will see the light.
All He asks is that you trust Him;
Walk by faith and not by sight.
Do not fear when doubts beset you,
Just remember-He is near;
He will never, never leave you,
He will always, always hear.

Faithful is He who has promised,
He will never let you fall,
Daily will the strength be given
Strength for each and strength for all.

He will gladly share pain with you;
He will gladly give you peace.
Till you’re tired and weary body
Finds its blessed, glad release.

When the darkened veil is lifted,
Then, dear heart, you'll understand
Why it is you had to suffer,
Why you could not feel His hand

Giving strength when it was needed,
Giving power and peace within
Giving joy thru tears and trial,
Giving victory over sin.

So till then just keep on trusting,
Thru the sunshine and the rain,
Thru the tears and thru the heartaches,
Thru the smiles and thru the pain-

Knowing that our Father watches,
Knowing daily strength He'll give,
Victory for each passing hour,
This is life, so let us live!

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart;
and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him,
and he shall direct thy paths.
Proverbs 3 5-7

 By: John E. Zoller

 
  ~Whisper Jesus~

Today I got a burden,
And I felt that I should pray,
For God's spirit seemed to tell me,
That you were having a bad day.

I don't know just what that problem is,
But I sure do know the cure,
And if you'll only let Him,
God will keep you safe and secure.

In life there's always problems,
Cropping up to spoil our day,
But my friend, you know the answer,
All you have to do, is "PRAY".

If you still feel you're defeated,
And you want to run and hide,
Just reach out, and I'll be there,
Standing right there by your side.

So remember-- WHISPER JESUS,
For He's just a prayer away,
He's so close that you can touch Him,
All you have to do, is "pray".

~Author Unknown~

When things seem difficult, remember you have within you the power to make things better

Contributors to this newsletter:

Dana Ahern (God bless you)
THE HOLY SPIRIT

And all of your prayers and encouraging words

Please continue to send your testimonies, shared readings inspirational pictures and prayer requests to chosen@cfl.rr.com they are truly an inspiration to others.

Be Blessed,

Shearon Hurst-Roach
Chosen One Outreach Ministries