When All Hope Seems Lost
"See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession You gave us as an inheritance. O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You (2 Chronicles 20:11-12)."
Jehoshaphat and his men were facing much opposition. They knew in their own strength, with their resources, they could never defeat the army that was coming against them. They were troubled and in distress and they did not have the answer. Humanly speaking they faced an impossible situation. They may have felt as though all hope was lost. But there is a shift, instead of focusing on the obstacles, and trying to take matters into their own hands, they instead sought the Lord. They knew He alone had the answer.
What about you? Are you facing a situation that seems impossible? Have you exhausted all methods in trying to "fix" the situation? Sometimes, I believe God allows things to happen in our lives to show us that He is the only answer. Not because of what He can do, but simply because He is the Lord and there is none like Him! Our peace, our hope and our security lies solely in Him. Maybe He is prying people out of your hand that you have been desperately clinging to or removing things from your life because they have become idols. God loves you and the trial you are in is not meant to break you. It is meant to strengthen your faith and cause you to lean on the Lord like never before. God uses difficult people and circumstances to change you and make you more like Jesus. He wants to be your one and only, not one of many.
God is always present and He is near to the broken-hearted and those who are crushed in spirit. He will come to your rescue and work it out for your good, but you must remember, that it is in His time and His way. With that being said, remember that God's ways are perfect and He is just in everything that He does. His plan for you is good. "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11)."
So why haven't things gotten better yet? You are seeking God and earnestly crying out to Him day after day, night after night and nothing has changed, in fact, things may seem to have gotten worse. This is not the time to give up my friend. Keep your eyes on Jesus and know that He will carry you through to victory in His sweet timing. Don't listen to the lies of the enemy like, 'God has forgotten you, He doesn't hear your prayers, you will never get through this or God doesn't love you.' Nothing is further from the truth. The enemy will do whatever it takes to cause you to feel defeated and take your eyes off of Christ. He knows once this happens, your light will grow dim and you won't be an effective witness for Jesus. He only seeks to kill, steal and destroy. Satan, however, has been defeated and he can only do what God allows him to do. When the enemy assaults you with his fiery darts, fight them off with the word of God. Stand firm in Christ and know your position. You are a child of the King. You are the righteousness of Christ and you are cherished. Don't grow weary because you do not have the answer yet. Hold fast to the promises of God and believe that He will do what He says He will do. It's called faith. No matter what your circumstances may look like in the natural, you view them from the word of God and know with certainty, that God will deliver you in due time.
None of us like to wait, especially when we are faced with hard, painful circumstances. We want God to act immediately. It is not easy by any means, but it's in the waiting we are taught patience, trust, greater faith and perseverance.
When your trial is over, if you will remain focused on the Lord, you will come out of it much stronger, your relationship with the Lord will be deeper and you will be able to minister to others who go through similar situations with the same comfort that God gives to you. Your answer is coming! God will never fail you.
"Though You have made me see troubles, many and bitter; You will restore my life again and bring me up from the depths of the earth (Psalm 71:20)."
Jehoshaphat and his men were facing much opposition. They knew in their own strength, with their resources, they could never defeat the army that was coming against them. They were troubled and in distress and they did not have the answer. Humanly speaking they faced an impossible situation. They may have felt as though all hope was lost. But there is a shift, instead of focusing on the obstacles, and trying to take matters into their own hands, they instead sought the Lord. They knew He alone had the answer.
What about you? Are you facing a situation that seems impossible? Have you exhausted all methods in trying to "fix" the situation? Sometimes, I believe God allows things to happen in our lives to show us that He is the only answer. Not because of what He can do, but simply because He is the Lord and there is none like Him! Our peace, our hope and our security lies solely in Him. Maybe He is prying people out of your hand that you have been desperately clinging to or removing things from your life because they have become idols. God loves you and the trial you are in is not meant to break you. It is meant to strengthen your faith and cause you to lean on the Lord like never before. God uses difficult people and circumstances to change you and make you more like Jesus. He wants to be your one and only, not one of many.
God is always present and He is near to the broken-hearted and those who are crushed in spirit. He will come to your rescue and work it out for your good, but you must remember, that it is in His time and His way. With that being said, remember that God's ways are perfect and He is just in everything that He does. His plan for you is good. "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11)."
So why haven't things gotten better yet? You are seeking God and earnestly crying out to Him day after day, night after night and nothing has changed, in fact, things may seem to have gotten worse. This is not the time to give up my friend. Keep your eyes on Jesus and know that He will carry you through to victory in His sweet timing. Don't listen to the lies of the enemy like, 'God has forgotten you, He doesn't hear your prayers, you will never get through this or God doesn't love you.' Nothing is further from the truth. The enemy will do whatever it takes to cause you to feel defeated and take your eyes off of Christ. He knows once this happens, your light will grow dim and you won't be an effective witness for Jesus. He only seeks to kill, steal and destroy. Satan, however, has been defeated and he can only do what God allows him to do. When the enemy assaults you with his fiery darts, fight them off with the word of God. Stand firm in Christ and know your position. You are a child of the King. You are the righteousness of Christ and you are cherished. Don't grow weary because you do not have the answer yet. Hold fast to the promises of God and believe that He will do what He says He will do. It's called faith. No matter what your circumstances may look like in the natural, you view them from the word of God and know with certainty, that God will deliver you in due time.
None of us like to wait, especially when we are faced with hard, painful circumstances. We want God to act immediately. It is not easy by any means, but it's in the waiting we are taught patience, trust, greater faith and perseverance.
When your trial is over, if you will remain focused on the Lord, you will come out of it much stronger, your relationship with the Lord will be deeper and you will be able to minister to others who go through similar situations with the same comfort that God gives to you. Your answer is coming! God will never fail you.
"Though You have made me see troubles, many and bitter; You will restore my life again and bring me up from the depths of the earth (Psalm 71:20)."
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