Faith in Despair: The Hot Stove

I've been trying to think of a way to explain more about what this blog is about. This is NOT a place where Christians come to ask : "Oh Why me, Lord? WHY ME?!" (Although, I'm sure we've all asked it.) 
This is not a place for lack of faith but a place full of faith and the only way I can describe it is with the analogy of a big, hot stove.

Let's say you have a big hot stove. One of those old fashioned types that has a real fire in it and 6 big burners. Let's say you trip and reach out with your hand and grab the corner of the stove and you get a nasty, nasty burn. 
Now that person is going to be in some major pain and they are going to be very upset. Probably do some screaming. Some running around. Look for a doctor. It's not going to be a pleasant scene.

Let's say someone else trips and reaches out to brace themselves on the same big, hot stove but they actually trip and get wedged in so that they can't remove their hand from the stove. They have their hand stuck to the stove and it continues to burn and they are alone and they are in major pain. Pain that will not be stopping until after they get unstuck. 
They will NOT be asking the question, "Oh why have you allowed me to suffer, Lord?" 
There will still be the initial screaming and crying but pretty fast their body will soon stop wasting all the extra energy of screaming and their brain will instantly start trying to find a way to "UN-wedge" themselves and get AWAY from that stove!
If their hand is burning but they are not dying, they are going to be wishing they were dead pretty fast. There won't be a lot of time for self-examination, debating theology or questioning the "bigger issues" of faith. Probably they will be in so much pain they won't even be able to pray or maybe even initially think. 

Okay. Now let's Fast Forward an entire day. They've been wedged in and had their hand stuck to that stove and burning for an entire day and in massive pain. More than likely they will be wishing themselves DEAD because of the amount of pain and be "despairing of living", but if that person initially had faith in Jesus, at this point do you think they still have faith in Jesus,  or not?

The person stuck to that stove is going to be wondering a few things. Like "How can I still be alive after an entire day?" 
"Shouldn't I be more burnt than this?", "Why hasn't somebody responded to my screaming?", "How is it possible that I'm able to think rationally?" They are probably going to come to the conclusion that they are getting supernatural Help.
Believe me in a situation when you are in THAT much pain and THAT close to dying , you are not losing your faith in Jesus, you are finding it ... F-A-S-T! 
It's the Level of Suffering and the Amount of Time involved that makes the difference. And that's the difference in this Blog. 

I remember having food poisoning once. In 15 minutes I went from feeling fine and saying how much I enjoyed those mushrooms to pooping and puking everywhere. Then once I was empty (from both ends) I discovered I still couldn't stop retching. And with all that retching, I couldn't catch my breath. I managed to catch my breath only once and called out "Jesus! Help me." 
I suddenly noticed something weird. When I said "Jesus" out loud, the retching stopped for a second and I could take another breath in. It worked once, so I tried it again. I discovered each time I exhaled I said "Jesus" out loud, I was able to take a breath in again. If I didn't say "Jesus" on the exhale, the retching would start up again and I'd lose the ability to breath again. 
So I just kept on saying "Jesus" on the exhale, until at some point I eventually passed out. I literally needed Jesus for every breath I took. 
That was several years ago and since then I've analysed what happened and what was going on but at the time ...
all I knew is that as long as saying "Jesus" was keeping me breathing, I was going to keep saying "Jesus." 

So here we are attached to this stove with our hand burning. We aren't dying. We are in so much pain that we may be wishing we were dying, but if you figure out that Jesus is what is keeping you going, then you CLING to Him. The Questioning  Dialogue and Debating can wait until later. 

That's more what this blog is about. So keep that big, hot stove in mind all the time. (especially when you are reading peoples' Comments. )
If you run across someone here who is basically doing more whining and complaining than anything else, then they have seen some pain but they aren't "despairing". Maybe they've burned their hand, but they are not stuck to the stove day in and day out. Someone stuck to the stove has a faith that is alive, amazing and abundantly simple and clear.
That's why this blog is the despairing Christian. If the suffering in life is coming at you so hard and furious that you are "despairing of living", you are closer to Jesus than you ever have been before. For one simple reason. You need him for every single breath.

That's what those people in the Depression and the Dust Bowl figured out. They got close to Jesus in a way you just can't unless things get that bad. Now go back and read the verse 2 Corinthians 1:8 in the context that Paul uses it. He's not having a momentary lack of faith. He is FULL of faith. 

And as the deaths and suffering started piling up for me, I stopped my whining. I still had (and have) questions that I want answered. But they might not get answered on this side of Heaven and that's just fine. I have become a "Simpleton" when it comes to faith in Jesus. I can hear Him. His grace is sufficient. He is worthy. He will provide. He knows best. Disobedience is pointless. How can I not forgive when He forgave me. I might be made out of dirt but I am also God's Beloved. Maybe I "despair of living" and every day I long to go Home, but I can also hear the Lord more clearly than I ever have before. Having possessions? That will only rot and mold. Money? Jesus will give me what I need or else I don't need it. Even precious photographs? What if I lose those? He can stir alive a memory in a second and make it as warm and clear as if it is happening again right in front of me.

 I hear Jesus big and loud and clearer than I ever have before.
 "Despairing" - Absolutely.
But my faith has become just like the Bible says. Being "sure" and "certain". (Hebrews 11:1)

That being said. This doesn't all happen over-night. But it will happen faster than you can believe. When you are in that much trouble, Jesus doesn't waste a lot of time. And direct and immediate obedience to what God asks you to do gets direct and immediate results.