I can identify with Daniel.
“I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, ‘My Lord, what will the outcome of all this be?’” (Daniel 12:8).
There have been many times when I prayed a similar prayer:
- When my Dad died when I was 19
- When I was told my skin cancer might be serious
- When I was told I need a quintuple bypass surgery
- When I was told my heart was too weak for surgery
- When I was let go from my job
- When my wife discovered my addiction
- When I moved to Florida without a job
Each time, my heart cried out, “My Lord, what will the outcome be?”
I love the words of Soren Kierkegaard: “Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.”
Eventually, the past begins to make sense. But we can’t live there. It is only by looking forward that we are able to move forward.
Recovery Step: God may not tell you the outcome. But it’s okay to ask.
Author: Mark Denison
Mark and Beth Denison, married for 36 years, launched There’s Still Hope as a national movement to call men and women into lives of sexual integrity. Their ministry offers 90-day recovery plans for addicts and one-on-one and group coaching for addicts and their spouses. TSH also produces resources for pastors and churches to confront the porn epidemic that is destroying so many lives.
Dr. Denison was a senior pastor for over 30 years, NBA chaplain, and board chairman at Houston Baptist University three times. With a Master’s Degree in Addiction Recovery, Mark is a certified PSAP and active member of the American Association of Christian Counselors.
Mark has written four books on recovery: Porn in the Pew, 365 Days to Sexual Integrity, A 90-Day Recovery Guide, and 40 Days to Porn-Free Living. His latest book, Jesus on the 12 Steps, will be released later this year.
