We never go
through a trial without God in the midst of it with us. He never leaves us or
forsakes us (Hebrews 13:5). Christ and the Holy Spirit reside within us (Galatians
2:20).
Even through the
valley of the shadow of death, He is with us (Psalm 23:4). Whenever we feel
that God is not with us, it is due to our behavior, not the Trinity. We leave them
or grieve them by our choices and behavior (Psalm 13:1-6).
This causes us to
lose courage, strength, joy and heart. We feel abandoned and forlorn. We have
no will to go on any more. We may even feel betrayed by those who are supposed
to love us, including God.
God is just
waiting for us to completely surrender to His love. The Way, Truth and Life is
always with us and in us, giving us wisdom and bringing us into God's glory
(Colossians 1:27; John 14:6).
The Lord wants us
to accept His will without any conditions or self-will. Praise opens the gates
of hell, which we are experiencing, and allows us to understand the freedom of our
union with God (Act 16:16-40).
Praising God for
the negative circumstances, for the seed for a miracle within the trial and for
His goodness, even when we are hurting, is the key to spiritual victory.
Jesus knew
Calvary awaited Him. He first requested that God save Him from the cross
(Matthew 26:37-42). Then, He prepared Himself for this trial through a time of
prayer in the garden with His disciples.
Jesus knew that
the only way to traverse any trial is to embrace the will of God in and through
it. Therefore, He changed His focus to the glory, which awaited Him (Hebrews
12:2).
We follow Jesus'
example and praise God regardless of His deliverance or blessings for us in
this life, because we know the glory, which also awaits us in Heaven (Romans
8:18).
We know that God will work out everything - even the most unbearable
circumstances in this life - for our ultimate good.
Prayer:
Father God, teach
us to worship You in Spirit and in truth (John 4:24). Remove any hypocrisy in
us and help us to live, move and have our being in Christ (Acts 17:28). Draw us
close to You, because we know You will never, ever let us go.
We will pour out
our love for You even when the flames of the fire, winds of the tornado, or destruction
of the disease rip our life out of our clutches; because we know that our last
breath on earth is followed by our first breath in Heaven.
Thought for the
Day:
The God of the
universe never, ever leaves or forsakes us; so, what is there to worry about? -
Hebrews 13:5
