I frowned at my husband. "What do you mean?"

"He rejected me. You know, like a bad egg."

Theological arguments immediately rose to mind, but I figured I should hear him out before I launched my sermon. "What makes you think THAT?"

Heavy sigh. "I keep praying for help with our income problem. I know it's all my fault. I should have taken better care of what He provided."

I let that one pass.

His shoulders sagged and he hung his head. "But he's still not answering."  

The current economy had robbed us of rental income and we floundered each month, scrounging and selling things off to pay the minimum amounts on bills. We were falling farther behind. We had both been repeatedly on our knees about this issue. With so many other people in this country worse off, to my way of thinking we should have been rejoicing. Trying to explain why God hadn't yet favored us with release from this problem, my husband decided God had rejected him. In truth, if prosperity were tied to our behavior, people would serve the Lord just because they wanted to get rich. That is not what God desires.

I guess it's what fair-weather friends often do, though. When we're riding the crest of the wave, they're our friends. But when things go wrong, they disappear. Attempts to understand why God doesn't rescue us from pain can get all muddled up with how people treat us. But God's words says that His ways are higher than ours. To come to grips with situations like this, we have to remember His character.

God never rejects His children. Quite the opposite. 

My husband watches a show on the Home/Garden network featuring a contractor who rescues homeowners from construction nightmares. You know the kind. We've all heard about them on the news. Someone comes in to repair your plumbing and they make it worse, then refuse to fix it. Or they leave you in the middle of fixing your mildew problem. Or they tear out your kitchen and disappear with your check. I heard of one awful story where a woman paid to get her bathroom renovated and the bad contractor insisted on getting all his money before he'd completely finished. The woman refused to pay him, so he ripped out everything he'd done and took it all away.

It occurs to me that sometimes God takes on special construction nightmares in our lives. Maybe my husband and I have mildew in our drywall or insulation. Maybe our nation does too. There's no way to paint over such a mess and call it good. God has to rip out all the corrupted drywall and insulation, all the corroded plumbing and dangerous electrical until He gets down to the bare studs. When He does that, He can begin to correct the situation. This process is costly and slow. It hurts. These days, we're not good at being patient with remodeling processes in our lives. After we've been through a week of dieting, we think we should be able to eat again. A few days after quitting smoking we can't understand why we still have those same cravings. We think being patient equates to the length of time we wait in our cars for an In-N-Out Burger without throwing a tantrum. Now. We want everything now. 

Sometimes God calls us to wait. "Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him!" Isaiah 30:18. Perhaps in this time of great need, God is calling us to wait in faith that He is working. "So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by mouth or by letter." 2 Thessalonians 2:15. "God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: 'The Lord knows those who are his,' and 'Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.' " 2 Timothy 2:19.

God hasn't rejected us. He is just getting started with us and He promises to finish His work and make us into the image of our glorious Savior, Jesus Christ.