Letting God Meet You in the Hard
Don’t push away His goodness because you feel you aren’t good enough
For November, our blog theme is “God Visits the Hood.” God laid this theme on my heart because many women and girls from the hood may feel overlooked and unseen.
Growing up in North Philly, I remember being a little girl and wondering why things had to be so hard for my family. Although my mother’s full-time job and her ability to keep my brother and me level-headed and focused often sounded better than the horror stories of my friends that I grew up with, I still knew that hardship and struggle hovered over our heads frequently. If pancakes and Morningstar veggie sausages were for breakfast, heartache, financial struggle, and sadness were served for lunch and dinner.
We went to church every Sunday and did the traditional church things that most black families did on Sundays and throughout the week. But church wasn’t where I “met” God. I remember when God first came to visit me in the hood. I remember it like it was yesterday. I was in my third-grade class writing out an assignment that Ms. Edwards had given us. It was crazy how much I knew exactly what I was writing, but I did, and let me tell you - it scared me when it was my turn to read for the class. While I don’t remember all of it, I remember saying, “I know the devil is taunting me and that he is real.”
This wasn’t an eight-year-old girl talking about something she heard in church or a little girl who was just repeating what the old folk were saying. I knew that God was real because the devil was trying to convince me that He wasn’t. I got saved on April 24th, 1994, when I was nine. Somewhere between eight and nine years old, God came to visit me, a lot. The darkness of my narrative was a prison, but my regular visitor was God. I had such a keen awareness of the enemy who was after my life, but God certainly made sure I knew His presence was right there as well.
He met me where I was. I prayed my way through the fear, the frustration, the confusion; pushing past the taunts of the enemy. I didn’t come up with a fancy way to pray or try to mimic things I heard. I simply talked to God. Everyday.
Here’s the real:
1. God will always meet you where you are, even when shame tries to tell you differently. Even if you’ve moved out of the hood, some of us have our “hood” following us because we can’t seem to disconnect from what hurt us. God is there. And He’ll sit with you while you overcome that thing. No matter what, call on God in the darkness, because…
2. God visits the hood every night. I promise you He does. He never skipped over my home, and He won’t skip over yours either. Don’t let the devil tell you that He’s not there because he thinks he got the upper hand in your life due to the trauma that you faced or the circumstances you find yourself in. Whatever your “thing” is, God will use that to draw you closer to Him and bring you to a place of restoration so…
3. Don’t hide your scars from Him – invite Him into them. He’s not asking you to come to Him when you have it together. He’s simply asking you to trust Him with those pieces that frighten you. They don’t frighten Him. He can do more with those broken pieces in His hand than you can hoarding them in your heart.
Contrary to what the enemy wants you to believe, God is watching over you. His Word is true, tried, and sure. The enemy can only do one thing well – lie. God loves you where you are, and He’s sitting with you. Keep inviting Him into all of your stuff – the good, the bag, the ugly, the things you feel you inherited and all the stuff in between. Don’t let go of His hand because He’s holding tightly to yours.
PS Be sure to meditate on the scripture passage below and share this with a friend so they can receive encouragement from our weekly newsletter.
Scriptures to meditate on and pray daily:
Psalm 91 - Prayer of Protection and Covering
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”
3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the [a]fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.
4 He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and [b]buckler.
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
8 Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
10 No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
11 For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
12 In their hands they shall [c]bear you up,
Lest you [d]dash your foot against a stone.
13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will [e]set him on high, because he has known My name.
15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With [f]long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.”