God Will Bring It to Pass
"Teach me Your way, O Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence. I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord (Psalm 27:11-14)."
As I read those verses, it was a reminder to me that no matter what I am facing today, no matter how big the problem may be, that this situation is only temporary and I will see the goodness of the Lord; not tomorrow-not one day-but right now!
There are battles we all face in life. Some of us are in a storm right now and it may seem like things will never get better. In fact, things may have gotten worse. Now is not the time to back down or give up. God tells us to "keep asking, keep knocking and to keep seeking (Matthew 7:7)." He also tells us to wait on Him. As we wait, He wants us to continue to trust Him and look to Him, not man, for the answer. Storms in our lives are not easy, and of course we want to immediately get to the other side. We don't like to wait. We want our pain and heartache to disappear. But have you ever thought that God is trying to teach you something in your storm? If you believe God is sovereign (and He is whether you believe it or not), then you know that nothing happens to you that does not first pass through His hands. He has allowed "this thing" to happen. Not to someone else, but to you. Maybe you have prayed for more faith or more patience or to be more like Jesus. We cannot have more of any of that unless we go through trials. It is in the trials of life, that God can and will teach us things that could not be learned if life was always good or things were always fair. It is in the trials of life that we begin to look deep within ourselves and realize we cannot do it on our own, no matter how hard we try. It is in the trials that we learn to persevere. Our faith is tested and strengthened as a result of going through trials. God shapes and molds our character as He takes us through the fire. But He promises "when you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze (Isaiah 43:2)." And like Job, we can one day shout, "But He knows the way I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold (23:10)."
As much as we would like to make life all about us, it is not. It is about God and us becoming more and more like Him. "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together (Colossians 1:15-17)."
As you go through your storm, remember that it is only temporary. When you have made it through to the other side, and you will, God can use you to minister to others that are going through similar circumstances, to encourage and build them up. "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)." So, my dear friend, hold on to the hope you have that is in Christ and know that He is "Immanuel-which means God with us (Matthew 1:23)."
I want to leave you with some precious words from the book of Psalms:
"Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God,
You who have done great things.
Who O God is like You?
Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter,
You will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up.
You will increase my honor and comfort me once again (71:19- 21)."
As I read those verses, it was a reminder to me that no matter what I am facing today, no matter how big the problem may be, that this situation is only temporary and I will see the goodness of the Lord; not tomorrow-not one day-but right now!
There are battles we all face in life. Some of us are in a storm right now and it may seem like things will never get better. In fact, things may have gotten worse. Now is not the time to back down or give up. God tells us to "keep asking, keep knocking and to keep seeking (Matthew 7:7)." He also tells us to wait on Him. As we wait, He wants us to continue to trust Him and look to Him, not man, for the answer. Storms in our lives are not easy, and of course we want to immediately get to the other side. We don't like to wait. We want our pain and heartache to disappear. But have you ever thought that God is trying to teach you something in your storm? If you believe God is sovereign (and He is whether you believe it or not), then you know that nothing happens to you that does not first pass through His hands. He has allowed "this thing" to happen. Not to someone else, but to you. Maybe you have prayed for more faith or more patience or to be more like Jesus. We cannot have more of any of that unless we go through trials. It is in the trials of life, that God can and will teach us things that could not be learned if life was always good or things were always fair. It is in the trials of life that we begin to look deep within ourselves and realize we cannot do it on our own, no matter how hard we try. It is in the trials that we learn to persevere. Our faith is tested and strengthened as a result of going through trials. God shapes and molds our character as He takes us through the fire. But He promises "when you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze (Isaiah 43:2)." And like Job, we can one day shout, "But He knows the way I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold (23:10)."
As much as we would like to make life all about us, it is not. It is about God and us becoming more and more like Him. "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together (Colossians 1:15-17)."
As you go through your storm, remember that it is only temporary. When you have made it through to the other side, and you will, God can use you to minister to others that are going through similar circumstances, to encourage and build them up. "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)." So, my dear friend, hold on to the hope you have that is in Christ and know that He is "Immanuel-which means God with us (Matthew 1:23)."
I want to leave you with some precious words from the book of Psalms:
"Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God,
You who have done great things.
Who O God is like You?
Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter,
You will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up.
You will increase my honor and comfort me once again (71:19- 21)."
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