Good morning! I hope you had a wonderful weekend and that your week is off to a great start.
A few weeks ago I wrote about my home computer crashing. That was one of many adversities that have come our way in the past few weeks. Over the last 6 weeks we have had to replace a refrigerator, repair two vehicles, had the computer crash, and received a letter from the IRS that we owed more money on our taxes. As I am writing this my car is sitting up at the church needing repairs again.
So why am I telling you all of this? Not to have a pity party, but instead to focus our attention in on those difficult times of life. It is these seasons of life that have made the following verse one of my life verses:
Psalm 34:19 (NLT)
The righteous face many troubles, but the Lord rescues them from each and every one.
I don’t know about you, but some weeks it seems like I have my own personal rain cloud. No matter where I turn, something seems to be going wrong. We’ve all had times like that haven’t we?
We shouldn’t be surprised though. Look at the first few words of this verse: “The righteous face many troubles…” It didn’t say the righteous may face many troubles, but that they will face many troubles.
Why would life be so difficult? May I suggest that we do some of our greatest growing under duress? It is in these difficult times that we learn to trust. Our confidence is no longer in our own abilities and solutions, because quite frankly we are over our heads. The circumstances force us to bend our knees in prayer, seeking the mighty hand of God to pull us through.
This brings me to the promise of this verse and the thing that has made it so special to me: “…but the Lord rescues them from each and every one.” Think about this promise for a moment. No matter what the adversity is you are facing, God has promised to bring you through it. There is no obstacle too big, no circumstance too devastating, and no valley too low that God cannot bring you through it. I can face each trial with the confidence that God will see me through to the other side.
So what do I gain from such times of testing? The effort required to face the trial builds strength and perseverance. The time of waiting for God’s answers builds patience and trust. The lessons of the trial bring wisdom and understanding. The deep reliance upon God builds greater intimacy.
Today if you are facing difficult times, remember that God has promised to see you through. Look for His mighty hand moving in your circumstances and take comfort in the fact that He is with you every step of the way.
Until next Monday, may God’s richest blessings be yours this week.
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