I don’t know if you would group the three words above together, but I sure am these days. Who doesn’t experience frustration and uncertainty about tomorrow from time to time? I think we all do; and at times the frustration and uncertainty is greater than at others.

You may or may not be in one of those times right now, but I seem to be. And I wanted to share a prayer with you by John Ballie that I have been praying a lot these days. It means so much to me I thought others might appreciate it as well.

When much is obscure to me, let me be all the more faithful to the little I can clearly see; When the distant scene is clouded, let me rejoice that at least the next step is plain.

And to go with the prayer, here is a story by Nikos Kazantzakis that I think relates:

“I remember one morning when I discovered a cocoon in the bark of a tree, just as the butterfly was making a hole in its case and preparing to come out. I waited awhile, but it was too long appearing and I was impatient. I bent over it and breathed on it to warm it. I warmed it as quickly as I could and the miracle began to happen before my eyes, faster than life. The case opened, the butterfly started slowly crawling out and I shall never forget my horror when I saw how its wings were folded back and crumpled; the wretched butter fly tried with its whole trembling body to unfold them. Bending over it, I tried to help it with my breath. In vain. It needed to be hatched out patiently, and the unfolding of the wings should be a gradual process in the sun. Now, it was too late. My breath had forced the butterfly to appear all crumpled before its time. It struggled desperately and, a few seconds later, died in the palm of my hand.”

It’s a powerful story, isn’t it? It’s also somewhat sad. But it has a lot to say to us if we think about it and let it speak to us.

Some may ask, “Where is God in our times of frustration and uncertainty?” And the answer I think is, “He’s right there with us.”

I hope you enjoy Ballie’s prayer and Kazantzakis’s story. Feel free to leave a reply below and share these thoughts on Facebook and other social media.