FROM DISTRESS TO STRENGTH!

It is possible that even the most courageous people would fall into distress when the circumstances are extremely unbearable. That was the case with David when we went through the most devastating defeat and loss in life. He had successfully encountered a lion, a bear and even giants like Goliath in the past. Those were trying times for him, but he trusted in God at all those occasions and the Lord gave him victory also. But when his own men who were much weaker than Goliath planned to stone him, he seemed to have lost the soil from under his feet. Added to that, his confidence drained out because his own family was captured by the enemies. All of these were too much for David to handle and he fell into distress. But David never remained in distress for long. He quickly looked into the face of the Lord his God. When he shifted his focus from his distressing situation to his unchanging Lord, his countenance became bright and his hope came back to him. He quickly regained strength which he found in the Lord. He was able to realize that when all hope was gone, the Lord was there for him and that the Lord who saw him through the experiences of the lion, bear and Goliath would see him through his distress also. He was quickly revived in spirit and His heart was filled with hope in the Lord to bring all the families of all his men back, including his own family. We find David consulting the Lord about the action he should take and obeying the instructions of the Lord. Thus David was led from distress to victory by the Lord. The same Lord is with us today to help us in our distressing experiences and to take us forward for His glory.

Dear friend, are you distressed because of your seemingly hopeless situation? Do you feel exhausted in the body and mind because of the deep sense of loss, defeat and failure? It is certain that if you continue in distress, it will further drain your energy and dump you into the depth of disillusionment. When you are in distress, the best place to look at is not your abilities, possessions, circle of friends, connectivity and smartness. All of these will not be able to help you and will only turn out for others to criticize you. Instead, if you look at the face of the Lord, He will brighten up your faith. You can definitely look back at the ways by which the Lord brought you so far. You will do well to reminisce on the visions that the Lord has given you about what He wants you to accomplish for Him in this life. You can count the past blessings that the Lord has showered upon you. You have the promises of the Lord to meditate upon and regain your confidence. You have the privilege to immediately go to the Lord in prayer and to ask for a release from your distress. Just as David did, you can enquire of the Lord who is with you regarding the next step to take. He knows all about your distress and the reasons for it. He knows your heavy loss in life and your drained dignity among your people. As you look back and count your blessings and ask the Lord to strengthen you just as He has done in the past, His Spirit will empower you to gain confidence in the Lord to go forward. He will guide you in the future course of action that you need to take to move on to victory. He will re-establish your standing and rebuild your life of faith in Him. Today the Lord is by your side and He will help you to find strength in Him which will lead you to do all things that you need to do to continue to be in His will. So, cheer up, dear friend, and be strong in the Lord.

Deuteronomy 31:6 – Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.

Thought for Today
Past victories are windows through which we can see the bright face of the Lord who gives us strength for the future.