Distress to trust!
Verse for Today: Thursday, May 10, 2012
Psalms 42:6 – My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon – from Mount Mizar.
When circumstances are overwhelming and challenges are great, our going gets tough. In a sinful environment in which we live, especially among a set of ungodly people who pose challenges about our faith, it makes us sad in our soul. As we watch how the enemy captures even our friends and the household of faith, we feel lonely and depressed. When the spirit of iniquity spreads its value system even among God’s people and turns our friends into foes of faith, it hurts our hearts and sags our spirits. How our environment quickly gives way to ungodly and unspiritual would make us despair and dispirited. When we have pain because of the poison of sin which permeates into our families, communities and churches, we are appalled about the lack of sensitivity among our close associates in the household of faith. The sons of Korah went through such a state of affairs and felt discouraged and disillusioned. They had no answers to give to their ungodly generations and felt inadequate to meet the challenges. They were spiritually exasperated and were in a pensive mood. The only place of consolation they found was the presence of God. They were sensitive and they had a thirst for God and His matters. They were exercised to run into the presence of God for relief, deliverance and hope.
Dear reader, perhaps you are going through a time of despair because of the surge of iniquity that is growing fast all around. When you are disillusioned about your environment, there is always a place to run into which is the presence of God. It is there that you can drink from the stream of divine truth to strengthen your sagging spirit. It is there that you can find answers to the questions which loom large in your heart about your own inadequacy to cope with the spiritual warfare you are engaged in. It is there that you will find comfort, consolation and strength to withstand the pressures of the ungodly that are around you. It is there that you will find a pitcher of divine water and a loaf of divine bread to strengthen your soul as in the case of Prophet Elijah. It is there that you will find broiled fish and bread on charcoal to satiate your sagging spirit as in the case of Simon Peter. Your Lord is out there to serve you with heavenly manna prepared by His own hands. He has enough spiritual water to quench your thirst for God and His Spirit in His presence. The water of life that He gives will take away the toxic thoughts and feelings you might develop because of the sinfulness of your environment. You will then be able to stand strong and answer your detractors boldly about the Lord and His Word. When the ungodly challenge your faith, your Lord will give you the holy boldness to stand strong on the sure Word of God to answer them about the faithfulness and power of your God. You will then be able to praise Him for His grace shown to you in your adverse circumstance. Prophet Elijah had to stand alone in his generation and minister to the people when other prophets were in the hiding. Prophet Elisha was given the boldness to handle his environment through the power of the Spirit of God. The baptizer spoke powerfully to his generation about the need to show forth the fruit of repentance even by risking his life. Today we have the privilege of living and loving the truths which are given to us as a buffer against the challenges and intimidation posed to us by the world and its system supporters.
Psalms 118:5 – From my distress I called upon the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me in a large place.
Thought for Today
The Lord transforms our distress into trust in His mighty power for our deliverance.
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