As children, many of us have been taught to pray and that God will help us. But as we grow into adulthood our simple prayers can turn into desperate pleas as our lives become more complex and difficult. What happens when the prayers we pray don’t seem to be heard, or the circumstances of our lives become so traumatic we may doubt if God is even listening? Our guests this week had their own ups and downs in their relationship to prayer and to God. Pastor Levi Lusko faced the tragic loss of his five-year-old daughter that shook his whole world. Foster Dad Peter Mutabazi grew up in mind-numbing poverty made worse by the abuse of his earthly father—robbing him of the hope of possibly ever knowing the love of a true Father. These men share their experiences and what gave them hope to survive the most devastating experiences of their lives.
Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:
Jesus Calling Podcast
Psalm 46:10 NIV
Jesus Calling
Jesus Listens
Past interview: Joni Eareckson Tada
Upcoming interview: Kristin Chenoweth
Levi Lusko
Fresh Life Church
Roar Like a Lion
Matthew 14:13-21 NIV
Lord's Prayer
Henry David Thoreau
www.levilusko.com
Peter Mutabazi
Compassion International
World Vision
Compassion International Uganda
Luke 12:48 NIV
Foster care
Starlight Foundation
www.nowiamknown.com
Interview Quotes:
“When [my daughter] Lenya went to heaven, we were at a loss as parents, not only how to go through what we were facing ourselves, but how to help our kids process it.” - Levi Lusko
“I feel empowered in my pain and there's a purpose in it. But then I also love that it acknowledges that this might take a while. It's not instant. I have to wait sometimes. And in that waiting is where God really is going to develop the muscles of strength inside of you that hopefully can help you to handle the kind of blessing that He ultimately wants to give you.” - Levi Lusko
“Abuse wasn't just coming towards me, but it was going towards all my siblings, including my mom. So even though one parent was there to protect us, most of the time, we could not protect her because she faced the same abuse from my dad. And so that that was what life was. That was just the worst you could think of. So for me, you know, if you told me to dream, today was bad enough that I didn't really want to think about tomorrow.” - Peter Mutabazi
“I realized just how good I was at school as well. And so that's really how I began to hope and how I began to truly see myself as someone who will get somewhere, not because I had it, but because someone saw that in me and he believed and had faith in me.” - Peter Mutabazi
“I went to the restaurant and the amount of food I saw being thrown away really, really [made me] question my faith, you know, because to see how much was thrown away and knowing that kids in my village are going to die today because they didn't have a meal, I began to ask God like, “God, do you love us the same way? How can some people have so much to throw away every day, but others have so little that they will lose their lives?” You know, and that was a challenge for me.” - Peter Mutabazi
“Things that I can draw from my own life and be able to share with them has truly been so meaningful, you know, that you look back and say, ‘Wow, God, I had no idea, but you allowed me to go through all of that. But at the same time, I can use the past to change your little ones here in the United States.’” - Peter Mutabazi
“We stand to be an advocate for those who are not seen and those who are not heard.” - Peter Mutabazi
________________________
Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel:
Audio Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PrbuwH
Video Playlist: https://bit.ly/2PsmEkJ
What’s Good? Playlist: https://bit.ly/3i7VUlZ
________________________
Connect with Jesus Calling
Instagram
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
YouTube
Jesus Calling Website
