Tag: overcoming trials

Praising God in Our Darkest Hours

Psalm 63:1
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Most people who study the Bible find David to be one of the most intriguing characters in all of the Old Testament. It is likely that he is so interesting to most of us because he is a character of such contrast. We learn that He was passionately devoted to God as evidenced by today’s passage. But on the other hand, we find that he was guilty of some of the most grievous sins written of in the entire Bible. We learn that David was a mighty and courageous warrior that won many battles because of His favor with the Lord. But conversely, we find that he was at his weakest when he was fighting his own personal battles in the flesh. David’s emotional highs and lows are well chronicled by David himself in the Book of Psalms. His writings provide us with some of the most heart-warming and inspiring poetry written anywhere in the Bible.

As we struggle through the challenges of daily life, the way God views David offers hope for all of us. Of David, the Lord said, “I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.” We can be comforted in knowing that there is nothing that we can do to cause Our Heavenly Father to love us less. His love and forgiveness are perfectly paired and extended to us without end. Our Lord is particularly pleased when, like David, we come to Him with praise even in our darkest hours.

Let us go boldly to the Throne of God, particularly when we find ourselves in a dry or weary place. Let us sing our praises to our precious Lord. Let us be strengthened by knowing that Almighty God delights in seeing us come through our trials in loving obedience to His calling on our lives.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your perfect love and forgiveness. We sing Your praises knowing that even when we have fallen that Your love for us never fails. We bless the name of Jesus through Whom we are separated from our sin. We ask that Your Holy Spirit will inspire us to thirst for You in the passionate, intimate way that David did. We pray that Your Holy Spirit will strengthen us to walk in obedience to all that You ask us to do. We long to be called men and women after Your own heart. We ask all these things in the name of the living testimony of the love of God, Jesus Christ.

Unfaltering Obedience

Matthew 16:21
From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.

Jesus fulfilled everything that He was called to do. Even though He was tested beyond human imagination, He never faltered once in His obedience to the plans of God for His life. Through the process, it was a blessing to us all that Jesus did not listen to the voice of others around Him. Peter specifically rebuked Jesus for proclaiming such a tragic ending to His life. Jesus let Peter know that he spoke Satan’s language when he suggested that Jesus step away from His mission.

It is very easy to say, “I give up. I cannot do it.” This is especially true when we allow others in our lives to suggest that the values of man should be given more weight than the callings of God upon our lives. In essence, if what we are pursuing is of God, then giving up is denying the promises of God Himself.

Jesus overcame all of His trials because He was one with the Father and He trusted in the promises of the Father. And indeed, He did rise on the third day, fulfilling all of God’s promises for mankind. In the same way, we are to be anxious in nothing for God promises to take care of our every need and He promises to finish anything that He has called us to do. Our victories are in fact complete before we are even aware of our calling to their pursuit.

Let us stand firmly on the promises of God Almighty. Just as Jesus did, let us surrender in complete obedience to God’s calling on our lives.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing Your Son to be the guarantor of Your promise of eternal life available to each of us. We exalt the name of Jesus for His complete obedience to His calling as Our Savior. We pray for the strength and guidance of the Holy Spirit so that we may be obedient to the completed purpose and plans that You have set aside for our lives. May we stand firmly on Your promises. We ask these things in the name of the One who secured our victories on the Cross, Jesus Christ.

Becoming Proficient at Handling Troubles

2 Corinthians 6:4
In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind.

Jesus prepared his disciples for what was to come. He forewarned them to expect tribulation in their lives. He then inspired them by letting them know that in the face of every adversity that He had already secured the victory for them. And so it was. As they endured all that came against them, the world noticed and their ministries grew. As it was with them, so it will be with us.

In every element of our lives, we are certain to experience resistance. Whether our activity is on the physical, emotional or spiritual level, we cannot avoid being challenged. This is simply a fact of life. Our ability to cope will be determined not by our own strength but by the strength we gain through the Holy Spirit.

As we learn to heed the urgings of the Holy Spirit, we will become more capable of overcoming the trials and challenges in our lives. Constant successful response to what the world throws at us will build up our proficiency in each area. The more times that exercise is chosen over idleness, the stronger we will be. The more times patience is chosen over anger, the more peaceful we will be. The more times righteousness is chosen over sin, the closer we will come to reaching the holiness that Jesus has set aside for us. The more times we make the good choices that we are shown by the Holy Spirit, the more proficient we will become in producing positive results in all areas of our lives.

As we endure, those around us will notice. We will become living testimonies of Jesus Christ to the world. Our personal ministries will become fruitful.

Let us learn to rely on Our Lord to endure all that the world throws at us. Let us seek to make all of our choices and meet all of our challenges under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Let us live daily under submission to Our Savior who stands by us. Let us rejoice in knowing that our endurance will bear fruit for the kingdom of God.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You that we may have peace in our lives no matter what is coming against us. We bless the name of Jesus who died on the Cross so that we may have victory over all evil. We rejoice in knowing that we can have comfort when the world is trying to steal it from us. We pray that our pride will not lead us to believe in our own ability to overcome the world. We ask, Father, for the wisdom to lean on Our Savior in our times of tribulation. May we be built up in every area of our lives through our submission to Your Son. As we endure, may others be drawn to the One who strengthens us. We ask all these things in the name of Our Victorious King, the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.