Deuteronomy 31:8—“The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Psalm 34:17-19—“When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”
Psalm 40:1-3—“I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in Him.”
Psalm 17:6-7 --"I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer. Show me the wonders of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes."
1 Peter 5:10--
"And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen."
We all suffer at some points in our lives and are tempted in various ways. Where do we turn? Where we turn says a lot about us and our character. "Think about it. What does it tell us about young kids whose trouble turns them toward gangs or guns or drugs? What do we learn about adults whose difficulties direct them toward alcohol or illicit relationships or the bizarre teachings of a cult? What does it tell us about ourselves? Where do we turn when we have trouble with a relationship? Do we turn to the Bible for wisdom? Do we pray for direction? And where do we look for help when we are struggling with sin? To the Lord Jesus, the Master of forgiveness? To Scripture for foolproof help? "[odb.org]
We often forget that Jesus is right beside us in every storm or struggle that we find ourselves in. He isn't surprised by it, like we are, because He always goes before each of us. He hears and delivers us from our troubles WHEN we turn to Him. Where we turn is where we put our trust.
"Whatever be the subject of our thoughts, we are met by the eternal promises of God, promises that exactly meet our need. And how many soever be the promises, we know that in our Lord Jesus Christ is the yea, and through Him is the amen." [A. Carmichael]
From 'The Edges of His Ways'..... “My trust is in Thy mercy; and my heart is joyful in Thy salvation. I will sing of the Lord, because He has dealt so lovingly with me: yea, I will praise the name of the Lord Most Highest” (13:5–6, PBV). That is where we are meant to live, and where we can live we will live.
We should turn our thoughts, griefs, desires, and needs to Jesus. He provides the greatest rewards and fulfills His promises with guarantee. Psalm 94:19: “In the multitudes of my anxieties within me, your comforts delight my soul.” His comforts include Scripture, which should be our first turning point, because it reminds us of His great love for us. Psalm 117:2 "For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord." Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
If and when youre suffering, Ask God to help you look beneath the surface of your circumstance, to His eternal purpose and His everlasting Kingdom (2 Corinthians 4:18).
Angie,
ReplyDeleteGood blog; wisdom for all – for all will endure times of difficulty, discouragement and pain. I have found this true in the most difficult and trying times in my life—I have turned to His word in the Bible and prayed to Him and He has helped me. Sometimes it seemed like He was not answering or hearing because it was taking longer for things to change than what I expected or wanted. However, we are told to wait upon the Lord. I waited and prayed and then one day I realized, He has answered my prayer. Once I know I was praying to forgive someone of something, and I knew the Lord tell us to forgive, but it seemed like I could not, but I kept praying and then one day I realized that my heart had changed—the Lord did it, because I asked Him to and continued to ask. That is what we are told to do. He is our heavenly Father and wants us to learn His will and sometimes that takes going through trials. In weathering the trials, it also brings us to trust Him more.
Love,
Mom
In our troubled times, we have to turn to Him. He will carry us through our most difficult days! I have seen only one set of footprints in the sand many times!. 💕
ReplyDeleteI have seen God's strength displayed over and over in your life, Angie, and I see His Word honored. Your example of tenacity and fervor for truth is a catalyst for all of us who know you. Thank you for being our hero and helping us to remember that getting up is the necessary step after falling down if we desire to continue on in our walk with Christ.
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