Trouble

by

Psalm 84:12 The Way To Be Blessed

O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in You! Psalm 84:12

Most people desire to be blessed, to have favor in some area of their life. As they desire to be blessed, their definition of being blessed is having things with no troubles, pain or suffering. When there is trouble or things do not appear to go one’s desired way, people often feel as if they are not being blessed. This feeling increases when one is jealous of what someone else has or how successful someone else appears to be.

After talking about how great it is to be in God’s presence, the writer of this psalm says that the one who trusts in God is blessed.

The world sees blessings only through favor, no troubles or suffering and having material things. The more of these things a person has, the more one is blessed by the standards of the world’s view. There are some in the church who have bought into the same view as that of the world.

Believers in God should have a very different view on what it means to be blessed by God. No where in the bible did God ever promise that there will be no trouble while one is living on this planet. In fact, Jesus promised the disciples that they would have trouble.

As one believes the words of Jesus, one may wonder how one can still be blessed while having trouble. The blessings of God come in knowing that one is forgiven of all sins. It comes in knowing that this life is not all that there is, but that there is an eternal life in heaven with no more suffering or pain. Blessings are found in the peace that God gives in the midst of struggle and turmoil.

Ultimately blessings are found in trusting God, not the circumstances.

You will have troubles and struggles that appear to be larger than life. You may often wonder if you are blessed by God when going through difficult times. Put your trust in God and believe that He knows what is best for you and only allows what is best for you in every situation. Recognize how blessed you are that God forgives you of your sins and is preparing a home for you in heaven some day. Trust in the God of eternity, not the temporary things of this fallen and depraved world and you will be blessed beyond all measure.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will see how blessed you are in Christ Jesus; that you will trust God in every situation in your life; and that God will bless you in many different ways.

Picture by Nelly Vokovich on Unsplash

by

Psalm 60:11 Seeking God’s Help

Give us help from trouble, for the help of man is useless. Psalm 60:11

Every person has times of trouble in which one needs help from someone else to make it. Finding that help that will actually help can be very difficult to impossible. While many people can sympathize with a person going through a difficult time, many are unable to really provide fulfilling help. Often the help provided will lead a person into more difficulties rather than leading them out of the problem without causing another problem. Solutions are usually just temporary, at best, and often led by a sinful heart.

David cries out to God asking for His help because the help of other people is useless.

The world is quick to provide solutions to many of the problems that people face from day to day. However, many of those solutions are based in sinful and selfish acts, rather than upon truth. Committing a sin to solve a problem may solve the temporary problem, but then creates an eternal problem of sin.

Repentance and forgiveness are often ignored in the process of attempting to solve the challenge in life. People will look at selfish ways to solve a problem, rather than look to God and His truth found in His word.

Instead of running to the world for help, believers need to seek God and His help. God will always lead the believer in the right way in every difficult situation. It may be that one needs to repent, other times it may mean that one needs to forgive. Either way, the believer needs to trust in God and His guidance, rather than self or of other people.

God will lead the believer either out of the trouble or through the trouble, but both require trust and obedience in Him.

Going through life you will have times of trouble in which you will seek some help to make it through. Make it your first priority to seek God’s help, before running to others or this world’s way of doing things.

Listen to what God says and how He will guide you in your time of difficulty. Be willing to repent and turn from sinful ways and be willing to forgive others and reconcile the problem. Know that God will lead you in the best way possible. Trust that God loves you and will lead you correctly during times of trouble and difficulties.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will seek God’s help in times of trouble; that you will trust God’s guidance in your life; that God will reveal the worthlessness of the world’s guidance; and that you will have God’s strength to make it through hard times.

Picture by Timothy Eberly on Unsplash

by

Psalm 57:7 A Steadfast Heart Amid Trouble

My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise. Psalm 57:7

Going through a difficult time is very difficult for most people. They worry and fear about what is occurring and what may still occur through the situation. Heart rate goes up, loss of sleep and trembling begins to happen out of the worry and fear of danger. Calmness has appeared to flee. These things only increase more and more with the greater the danger in the life of a person. The more it threatens one’s life, the more unstable the heart is.

As David is fleeing from being killed by Saul and hiding in a cave, he says that his heart is steadfast and repeats it again, and then says he will sing and give God praise.

While most people do not have someone physically coming after them to kill them, most have other dangerous situations that threaten them in some major way. Threat of the loss of a job, or a house or vehicle, threat of health that can include possible loss of life or some other major threat in one’s life occurs often.

During times like this, most people are scared, and their heart rate goes up out of fear and worry, and they complain about the situation. The world has a reason to fear, because they have no real hope.

Believers are not immune to dangers like these, in fact, Jesus promised that there would be threats and dangers. Yet, despite all the trouble that will occur, believers can be like David and have a steadfast heart. They do not have to worry or fear about anything, no matter how dangerous it is.

Believers can be calm with a steadfast heart, sing and praise God, because they know He is in control and will bring victory in the end.

As trouble occurs in your life, you may notice that your heart rate goes up and fear and worry tries to grip your heart. Instead of allowing that fear to take over your heart, your trust in God. Allow His supernatural peace to overcome the fear and bring peace to your heart and mind.

Sing a song of praise to God in the midst of trouble to refocus your mind upon God and how big He is and not on the temporary trouble in your life.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will allow God to bring peace and calmness to your heart during trouble; that you will sing a song of praise to God during times of trouble; and that you will trust God in every situation in your life.

Picture by Dominik Hofbauer on Unsplash

by

Psalm 30:5 Joy Is Coming

For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Psalm 30:5

Everybody has times in which they go through weeping and sorrow that appears to last for days, weeks, months, or even years. It is a time of pain and sorrow that does not feel as if it will ever come to an end. During these times, many lose all hope, and some will even give up with no more desire to try and keep moving forward.

David realized that God’s anger lasts only a short time, but that His favor lasts for life. He also noted that there is a time for weeping in the night, but that joy will come in the morning.

Going through a difficult time is hard for any person. Often there is no light at the end of the tunnel that it will come to an end. The world is filled with enough trouble of its own and believers have all that trouble, plus when they mess up and God strikes to bring about correction adding to the trouble.

The moment a believer recognizes that one sinned against God, there is weeping that occurs. Sometimes one feels as if the greatest sin has been done and that there can no longer be any forgiveness left.

However, with God, He is filled with great love and mercy and is willing to forgive. Believers will weep before God during the night, sorrowful of their sins and the trouble that they are going through.

In the morning they will see God’s mercy and forgiveness and have renewed joy despite the troubles. One day the believer will wake up in the new morning in heaven for all eternity filled with a joy that goes beyond anything this earth can provide.

Looking at the troubles in your life may appear as never ending with no joy or relief. Take your eyes off the troubles and look to God’s great love and mercy. God is allowing those troubles to build you up in Jesus and to accomplish His purpose in your life. They will not last forever.

There will come a day when you will have joy unspeakable that will last for all eternity. Do not give up or lose hope. God will come through for you in the end as you keep your eyes and hope on Him. Joy will come in the morning.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will know God’s love and mercy in times of trouble; that you will know God’s joy in your life; and that you will trust God during times of trouble.

Picture by Aaron Burden on Unsplash