Though I was raised in a “Christian” home, my father was abusive during my entire childhood. I would see him in church, raising his hands in worship and praying for others, since he was a deacon in the church, then he would then beat me and my siblings in between services. I always prayed to God to change my daddy, but He never did.
As an adult woman, I have had anger and bitterness towards God, though I have several times gone to HIM for a relationship. I don’t think I have ever felt God- A few weeks ago, I finally submitted and have been daily worshiping and praying, for I don’t simply want God in my life but want Him to be the CENTER of my life. Reading “The Shack” by William Young was so amazing and I felt like that book was written to reach a place in my heart I had closed off since Childhood. However, I am personally being challenged- my partner has been hiding his prescription drug use and alcohol use from me. He has begun a spiral towards hell and all I can do is pray. BUT my question to you is this.
I feel as if my life and those of people I love are all subjected to others FREE WILL. God CAN intervene but will never force, or stop evil from happening. So again, I am at mercy of others. When does God come into the picture? I hope I am making this clear enough for you. Even though I have known of a God my entire life, I am only now getting to KNOW GOD. To have this challenge with Michael so soon into my new faith has been hard. I lost a dear friend to suicide August 14th of this year. Michael has the same voices in the basement, telling him that he is no good and has nothing to offer. When will God ever intervene? I read somewhere in the Bible that God can change the hearts of people. Please if you can, explain. I try to remain strong and loving towards God now.
God doesn’t control our behavior, nor does He “allow” people to mistreat each other. We’re responsible for our own actions and for their consequences. Behavior that’s contrary to God’s will is prompted by the devil who convinces us to cooperate with him instead of being obedient to God. This is true of your father, it’s true of your partner, and it’s true of you.
If you truly yield yourself to God He will give you the desire of your heart (Psalm 37:4) He may not fix your dad or even your partner but He will fix you. You can make the right choices whether they do or not. You’re not at the mercy of others.
By the way “The Shack” is a great book, but it’s a work of fiction and shouldn’t be thought of as being fully theologically accurate. Even so, you should remember that things didn’t start changing for Mack until he started changing himself. If you really want to know God, read His book.