Verse for Today: Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Human beings are susceptible to frustrations. They face setbacks, failures, defeats and losses in life. Many things do not turn out as they desire or expect. There are unknown forces which work to thwart them of their grand plans. Unexpected turn of events plunge them into despair and it sometimes reaches a stage from which they find it difficult to climb up. Sometimes we reap despair because of our over-expectations and unreasonable plans. The people of the world resort to retaliation, fight, or counteraction to see how they can win over lost ground. When all hope is lost, they depend on external help from experts and even substance abuse to escape their scenarios. But when despair knocks at the hearts and lives of God’s people, they can depend on their Lord to help them out of it. We are instructed to live by faith and not by sight on the basis of the will of God. When God’s children encounter failure and loss as a result of disobedience, they must come back to their Lord and confess their failures and disobedience. When the world and the flesh defeat us through unreasonable expectations and daydreams, we must confess it and seek God’s perfect will for our lives. There are times when we encounter defeat because the world, flesh and Satan fight us and manipulate our situations. But in all these situations, we must realize that we have a God in whom we can hope. We can even praise Him for our failures because our failures and losses make us depend more intimately on Him. We must realize that we are given the privilege to put all our hope in God and trust Him to help us out in our defeats and failures. When our circumstances look hopeless and all the sources around disappoint us, there is no shadow of turning with Him. It is utterly meaningless for a child of God to loose heart and feel depressed because we have the privilege to simply trust and hope in our Lord who will deliver us from our depressing situations and failures. It is a time to focus our eyes on the Lord and get encouragement from Him. We can also ask the Lord to keep our hearts and minds from plunging into despair.
Dear reader, are you in despair because of your failures and defeats in life? Are you encountering failures in your business, job situation, ministry and family? If so, a comforting message is coming to you today from the Lord that He knows all about it and wants you to confide in Him rather than feeling frustrated. You are invited to cast all your cares upon Him including your despairing situation no matter what it is or how difficult it is. You might be tempted to cursing your past foolish decisions or actions. Instead of falling into self pity, it is best to cast your guilt about past decisions and actions on the Lord. He will strengthen you to cope with your failures, losses and defeats. He will fill your heart with peace that passes all understanding to trust the Lord to resolve your situations. You are asked to praise God even for all difficult situations because your God can transform your failures into success. He will give you the strength to face your situations courageously and seek to follow His will for your life. He will take care of your failures and defeats and give you victory. So why should you plunge into despair and disturb yourself further? Use your time to praise the Lord and draw from His strength for your future. You can see the Lord in His glory through His Word which will help you to develop a cheerful heart. Your cheerful countenance will be a great testimony to the joy and peace that the Lord gives you in spite of your circumstance. Today your Lord is working behind the scene to transform your failures into victory. So let us say goodbye to despair and live cheerfully as we walk with Jesus today.
Psalms 34:4 – I sought the Lord and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears. Thought for Today Beware of joy stealers who will try to sow the seeds of despair in our hearts.
