Read: Proverbs
3:5-6
“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for
when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has
promised to those who love him.” - James 1:12
So many times I hear people
say that God does not speak to them, or that God stopped speaking to them (Psalm
27:9, 28:1, 69:17, 102:2, 143:7).
Sometimes, this is due to the fact that we do all of the talking when we pray.
We often fail to take time to listen or we have sin in our heart that blocks us from hearing Him (Psalms 66:17-20). In
the quiet times, God is telling us to wait, to trust, and to rest in His love (Psalm 34:17; Ephesians
3:20-21; 2 Corinthians 9:8). He may not be talking, but He is always listening.
Usually, as I sit quietly in
His presence, He shares with me needed information to enable me to serve Him
during my day, or in the coming weeks. He gives me the wisdom I need or counsel
on an issue in my life. When I notice a bend up ahead in the river of life, and
I allow anxiety over the unseen possibilities around that bend to disturb my
peace, He calms my fears (Isaiah 26:3, 41:10). At other times, I embrace the silence and just enjoy the scenery along
the river, while I soak up the goodness of His presence in my life no matter
what lies ahead (Psalm 27:13).
God is the same yesterday,
today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). As we
feel fear rise in our soul during some daunting experience, we can realize that
God still abides in our heart (Isaiah 3:17). He
will walk with us through this trial or temptation and remain with us when we
come through it (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
Even while God is silent, He is still pouring His love over us like a
waterfall. He is also building up our spirit, because He knows we will need all
of our spiritual strength around the next bend in the river of life (Romans 5:
2-5).
In fact, if we trust Him
enough, we will eventually relax and actually begin to enjoy the ride! When we
feel overwhelmed by life’s issues, spending time alone with God is the perfect
place to find rest for our weary souls (Jeremiah 31:25; Matthew 11:28). God is still God regardless of what is happening in
our life (Deuteronomy 32:4). God
promises to deliver us out of our troubles, if we will glorify Him (Psalm
50:15). We can always find the joy that
God plants in every situation we encounter. It is all a matter of our focus.
Even the death of a loved
one, ill health, a bad marriage, stress at work or at home, or any other
negative event always has a positive side. We will find that place of
contentment if we change our focus about the issue and our attitude to one of
praise (Isaiah 25:4; Psalms 42:5). Every dark cloud has a silver lining and God is
eager to reveal it to us (Hebrews 6:19-20). Rather than allow the cares of the world to weigh us
down and to give us a negative attitude, our faith and trust in God will carry
us safely through one bend in the river after another (Psalms 146:5-6).
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, when everything goes wrong, walls block us on every side and hope is quickly dwindling away, we feel like throwing up our hands and giving up. That is exactly what You are waiting for, however. You want us to completely surrender everything to You, to walk in Your Spirit every moment of the Day and to learn to be content in every situation in which we find our self. Remind us to be still and to remember that You are God (Psalm 46:10; Deuteronomy 33:12). Allow Your joy to see us through every circumstance we encounter, and cause us to serve as an encouragement to others in our life. This way we are a blessing wherever we go.
Thought
for the Day:
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to
sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted
as we are, yet without sin.” - Hebrews 4:15