What do you do when you prayed for years and the thing you feared most happened anyway?

In this episode, Carla shares a conversation with a friend who stayed in a painful marriage for sixteen years, praying the whole time for God to step in. Now, in the middle of a hard divorce, she doesn't know how to pray anymore. She feels like she can't tell God she's angry or disappointed without being a "brat," and she's afraid that drawing closer to Him will cost her the good things she has left.

If you've ever felt let down by prayer, kept God at arm's length, or believed He's sitting up there ready to punish you, this episode is for you. Carla walks through Psalm 13, Job, Psalm 103, Hebrews 4, and Romans 8 to show that honesty is not the opposite of faith, that God is close to the brokenhearted, and that being told what God wants is not the same as hearing from Him.

Did you know that Carla is a Christian Mental Health coach?

See if working with her is what you need in your current season.

Book a discovery call today!

CONNECT WITH CARLA

OVERVIEW

In this episode, Carla covers:

Why feeling let down by prayer is real, and why the Bible gives you permission to say so
How lament in the Psalms and God's response to Job show that honesty is faith, not rebellion
The picture of God as a scorekeeper waiting to punish, and what Scripture says about His actual heart
The difference between hearing from God and being told what a "good Christian woman" should do
Why fear of closeness to God can be a nervous system response to loss, and the difference between conviction and shame
A simple prayer for when you don't have the words

3 Key Takeaways:

Honesty with God is faith, not disrespect. The Psalms are full of complaint and grief, and God kept those prayers in the Bible. In Job, God affirms the one who brought his raw heart and rebukes the friends with tidy answers. You are not a brat for telling Him how you really feel.
God is not a scorekeeper waiting for you to slip. He is compassionate, slow to anger, close to the brokenhearted, and invites you to approach Him with confidence. Pulling away to protect yourself doesn't protect you. Bringing your fear into the light with Him does.
Being told what God wants is not the same as hearing from God. Staying out of fear of being a "bad Christian" is not the same as surrender. If you stayed because of pressure from people you trusted, you were not foolish, and God's heart toward you is binding up, not silencing.

🔗 Want to Go Deeper?

If this episode stirred something in you, if you've been carrying disappointment with God, a story you were told about what a "good Christian woman" does, or a fear that getting closer to Him will cost you something, you don't have to sort it out alone.

I'd love to talk with you. I offer a free discovery call where we can talk through where you are and see whether working together 1:1 is the right next step. No pressure, no pitch, just a real conversation.

Book your free discovery call here → https://calendly.com/cmsarges/discoverycall