I remember when I was younger, I used to think that being saved and loving God precluded me from going through certain things. Somehow, I saw God as this shield from everything painful, uncomfortable, unfair and underhanded. I'm not sure why, but I reasoned in my mind that divine discernment, protection and favor would get me through life unscathed. I didn't realize that Christ's redemptive work on the cross ensured the rebirth of my spirit and the salvation of my soul... but did not, in any way, exclude me from suffering and affliction.
I didn't expect to ever be betrayed, misunderstood, misused, or blindsided by life; as if His presence with me acted as an invisible force field, so that trouble would just bounce off of me and like a boomerang, return from whence it came.
Ha! Boy, was I naive... but I wouldn't stay that way for too long. Time and experience each have a way of exposing myths, preconceived notions, false perceptions and misconceptions, don't they? Now that I'm older and a bit wiser than I was back then, I realize that God's grace is sufficient to carry us through--NOT keep us from--every storm, trial or test. For there surely will be plenty of those as we go through life. He never promised that everyday would be easy and that our faith would not be challenged. In fact, He promises just the opposite. Jesus said, "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
It's an inescapable fact that, you and I are going to go through hardship and heartache sometimes. Though we love God with all our hearts, things won't always go our way.But that's no cause to fret, because our strength and refuge is in Him.
Right about now, my mind is wandering over to 1 Samuel 30 when David was a fugitive, on the run from King Saul. Remember when he returned back to Ziklag (His temporary living quarters), only to find that his whole family, as well as all the families of his soldiers, had been taken captive and their place of dwelling was completely burned to the ground? The Bible says that he and his men cried until they didn't have anymore strength left to cry.
I mean, here you have a man that God promised to crown King, but he was on the run from the reigning King who was trying to kill him. Then, to add insult to injury, his makeshift home got raided and torched.
How much can one man take, right?
For a moment, this seemed like the straw that would ultimately break the camel's back. David and all those strong warriors with him had a full-on emotional meltdown. Even with all the promises of God over David's life, which the Lord would indeed fulfill--for He cannot lie-- David's dire circumstances still clouded his view of the promise. All he could see was the problem.
Life gets rough like that sometimes, but you and I have got to learn to do what David did next...
The Bible says in 1 Samuel 30:6, "But David found strength in the Lord his God" and in the King James translation of that same verse it reads, "But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God."
You see, all David's strength was gone. He'd spent it crying and being hysterical over this stressful situation. Sound familiar...? Yeah, we've all been there at least once or twice. But once he turned his focus from the issue he was facing and began to seek God's face instead, that's when his mental state changed and His thinking was renewed. David knew where to go for refuge and relief. "The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe" (Proverbs 18:10).
Today, whatever you may be facing and going through, know where your strength and help comes from. Don't look to anyone else to satisfy your needs, because people, even well-meaning ones, will fail you and let you down from time-to-time. God is the only one who will sustain us and remain unchanging, even when we're going through difficult changes.
Your strength and my strength is in God alone.
When your heart is broken, He is your comfort; when you feel confused and lost, the Father provides peace and direction; when there's an area of lack in your life, He is your source, sustainer and provider. Whatever is going on at this point in time, tell yourself, "The Lord is the strength of my life..." (Psalm 27:1) and His strength is made perfect in weakness... (2 Corinthians 12:9).
As always, thanks for reading and until next time... may you be empowered to prosper!
Dianna Hobbs
