be exhausted. But God offers rest—not just physical comfort, but rest
for your soul.
Find out God's surprising plan to put an end to your suffering. You'll discover:
•How God gently cared for a single mom in the Bible
•How God wants to care for you
•What can keep you from experiencing God's comfort
OVERWHELMED
If you're a single parent, you can probably relate:
"I can't do another day. I can't do another minute, let alone a whole
day." —Rob, single dad
"It can be really hectic and busy, and sometimes all I want in the
moment is peace and quiet and no more fighting … Isn't that fair?"
—Julie, single mom
"I'm worn out. I'm frustrated with life. I don't know what to do
that's best for my kids." —Lois, single mom
Every day you work to meet the emotional and physical needs of your
children, often at the expense of your own. You strive to be a good
parent, but the struggle to do everything by yourself makes it seem
impossible. Is there any chance of finding hope and rest?
A TENDER GOD
Hagar probably wondered the same thing. The book of Genesis in the
Bible describes the story of Hagar, a servant in Abraham's household.
She was a single mother who was betrayed and then banished into the
desert.
Imagine how hopeless Hagar must have felt as she and her son were sent
away from their home, with food and water strapped to her shoulders to
last how long? The desert stretched endlessly as she wandered with her
son, carefully rationing her provisions until, finally, the food and
water were gone. With no other options, she laid her starving child
under a bush and collapsed at a distance to avoid seeing him die. They
both began to cry. In the parched wasteland, erased of human comfort,
two frail voices rose up from the desert, perhaps the only sounds.
HOPE IN A PAINFUL WORLD
Do you identify with Hagar? Maybe you can taste her bitterness when
you think about being rejected by your child's other parent or her
sadness when you can't provide for your children like you want to.
Perhaps you feel her despair and her loneliness when you wake up in
the morning faced with living that day without anyone to help you.
Perhaps you want to believe God loves you, but you can't understand
why a loving God would allow pain and suffering in your life. If He
cared about you, wouldn't He do something about it? The answer is,
yes.
God heard Hagar's son crying and called to Hagar from heaven, "What is
the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as
he lies there. Lift the boy up and take him by the hand."
Hagar was truly in a hopeless situation. Only God could rescue her,
and He did. God opened Hagar's eyes to a nearby pool of water. Her
vision blurred by tears, she must have thought it a mirage at
first—but it wasn't.
God's original creation in the Garden of Eden was perfect and sinless.
Adam and Eve had a perfect relationship with their Creator until they
disobeyed Him. As a result, their descendants are all born with
built-in resistance to God and His ways. This is the reason we choose
to disobey God. And it's that same disobedience that cuts us off from
God and from experiencing His comfort and help. But as the story of
Hagar illustrates, God is a tenderhearted Father. He did do something
about sin; He sacrificed His only Son, Jesus Christ, to provide us a
way out of the desert. According to John 3:16, whoever believes in
Jesus has everlasting life—a life without tears or "death or mourning
or crying or pain" (Revelation 21:4). While you are in this imperfect
world, you have the hope that someday injustice, pain, divorce, death,
betrayal and suffering will end.
REST FOR YOUR SOUL
The same God who heard Hagar and her son hears your cries today. He
knows the cries of your heart that are too deep for expression: the
tears you've cried for your children, for yourself. And He hears the
cries of your children, too. He says to you from Matthew 11:28: "Come
to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
He wants you to have abiding rest now in His Son Jesus Christ, even
amidst the busyness and chaos of your daily life. How is this
possible?
A FREE GIFT
In the words of Julie, a single mom, "We live in a culture that keeps
trying to tell us you can do it all. That's just not reality." You
won't be able to fix everything, clean everything, cross off all the
items on your to-do list. In light of this truth, the good news is
there is nothing you have done or can do to earn God's love and favor
and rest. Jesus has done it for you.
You can stop trying to work your way to a substitute salvation, trying
to redeem yourself from shame and past mistakes by doing everything
right. Ephesians 2:8–9 says, "For it is by grace you have been saved,
through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not
by works, so that no one can boast."
You can also stop worrying about how other people see you. Because of
Christ, God accepts you as you are. Psalm 103:12 says He has removed
our sins as far as the east is from the west. And His viewpoint is the
only one that truly matters! The answer to your problems lies in
Christ.
YOUR STORY
Like Hagar—and Julie, Rob and Lois—you need to be rescued. Of course,
you need help in your physical situation: perhaps you were wronged by
others or are struggling financially. But you also have a spiritual
situation that is far more serious. All of us are born sinners
according to Romans 3:23, and our sin separates us from God eternally.
Your ultimate need is for something far greater than temporary
vindication or comfort; your heart's cry is for a Savior who is able
to save to the uttermost. Only Jesus Christ can deliver you from
hopelessness—totally, finally and eternally.
The comfort and hope Jesus offers you is not a mirage. His love is not
superficial or fickle. He is able to keep His promises to you, and He
faithfully will. Psalm 145:13b says, "The LORD is faithful to all his
promises and loving toward all he has made." Listen to Him: Do not be
afraid. Come to me. I will give you rest. Trust yourself and your
children to Him, because He has heard you.
HOW TO EXPERIENCE GOD'S REST
If you have never asked God for His comfort and rest, you can come to
Him by acknowledging your belief in who He is, what He has done for
you, and your personal need for Him. You need to believe that you are
a sinner, and because of that sin, you have been separated from God
and the hope He offers. You need to believe that Jesus Christ died in
your place so that you would not have to experience eternal death, the
punishment for your sin. You can come to God with a simple prayer from
your heart:
Lord, I need Your help. I am overwhelmed with physical and spiritual
needs that only You can meet. I've tried to make things right on my
own, but I realize now that I can't. I want to stop working to save
myself and trust in the grace of Jesus Christ for my salvation and
eternal life. I need Your comfort as I face my daily struggles. Please
forgive me for my sin and failure to acknowledge You as Lord of my
life. Thank you for sending Your Son to die so I can live daily in the
hope, joy and peace that is available to me when I entrust my life to
You. Amen.
THINGS ARE DIFFERENT NOW
The problems and trials in your life will not instantly disappear when
you entrust your life to Christ. But if you invited Christ into your
life, things are definitely different now. For starters, you are no
longer enslaved to the circumstances, people and troubles in your
life. They have no power over you now.
HERE'S WHAT ELSE HAS CHANGED:
•Your identity is in Christ. You are no longer defined by your
circumstances or your marital status. Second Corinthians 5:17 says,
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has
gone, the new has come!"
•God accepts you on the basis of Christ's finished work. Jesus Christ
lived a perfect life on your behalf, and because He paid your sin debt
by dying on the cross, you are now perfect in God's sight for
eternity. Hebrews 10:14 says, "[B]y one sacrifice he has made perfect
forever those who are being made holy."
•God will be with you in your struggles. Being a Christian doesn't
mean all your problems will magically disappear. In fact, Jesus told
His disciples to expect adversity and tribulation in this life. But
God promises not only to meet us in our suffering, but also to use our
suffering for good. Isaiah 43:2a says, "When you pass through the
waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they
will not sweep over you."
•You received the gift of eternal life. God considers you part of His
family, and you will be with Him forever. Romans 6:23 says, "For the
wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ
Jesus our Lord."
•You can find God's peace. When you turn to Him with your problems and
pain, God has promised to give you His peace. Philippians 4:6–7 says,
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and
petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the
peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your
hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
WHAT'S NEXT?
Because of Christ, you are now a new creation. You have been forgiven
and restored to a right relationship with God, and you are free from
sin's power in your life. If you have questions about your new
relationship with God, talk with your pastor, your Single & Parenting
leader or a spiritually mature Christian friend. They can help you
grow even closer to God and understand how the gospel (the good news
of what Jesus has done for us) applies to your everyday life.
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