How are you doing? I mean, how are you really doing? Is everything really “ok” or are you just trying to be polite? No one wants to be a bother. Each of us has their own problems to worry about, so we will go to great lengths to avoid burdening others with ours.
First, we need to understand that our brethren are usually far more ready and willing to listen than we give them credit for. A faithful Christian knows that they have a duty to “…do good to all, especially those who are of the household of faith” (Gal. 6:10). That duty includes sharing in one another’s burdens “…and so fulfilling the law of Christ” (v. 2). So, we should never think that we cannot bring our concerns before the church. We need to allow our brethren to fulfill the law of Christ in hearing us out.
Second, and more importantly, God is perfectly ready and willing to listen to our burdens. God cares for us, and He has laid His heart out to us throughout the scriptures. “…casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Pet. 5:6–7). “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God” (Isa. 41:10). “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Though He stands far and above us as the infinite and almighty God, our Lord has shaped His eternal will around us.
If God is so ready and willing to hear us, then why do we forget to ask? Why do we neglect our prayers? As infants, we freely and unreservedly cried out to our parents for every need and desire we had. Our parents, in return, provided them without a second thought. Why then, when we are grown, do we treat God like a stingy stepfather? Jesus said, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matt. 7:11).
Some days parents get frustrated with their child’s cries, but God never does. “Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments…” (Deut. 7:9). “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God…” (Phil. 4:6). “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16).
How are you doing? I mean, how are you really doing? You do not have to carry your burdens alone. Your church and the God who built her is waiting for you to ask.