In this sin-cursed world, we have trouble trusting. We are lied to all our life by many whom we are supposed to be able to trust. We even feel like God lets us down sometimes. We put our faith and trust in Him, and things do not work out the way we think they should.
We get hurt, depressed, frustrated, and ANGRY; and then we start fighting back to protect our self. After 40 years of life, I ran out of steam. I was so tired of fighting all the bad circumstances in my life, as well as getting tossed around by the hopelessness and anxiety, which accompanied them.
I kept saying, "God, I can’t trust, because life hurts." I walked around almost holding my breath. In fact, I ended up hyperventilating most of the time, because I never took deep breaths of life-giving air.
I continually braced myself against the next painful experience, never knowing when it would swoop down upon me. Most of the time I was on the offensive even more than on the defensive. One key that really helped me to stop this treadmill of discouragement was to realize that I often just needed to obtain clarification before over-reacting.
I find so much comfort in Isaiah 30:18, Amplified Bible: “The Lord earnestly waits – expectant, looking, and longing -- to be gracious to you; that He may show loving kindness, and have mercy, and give favor, and victory, and peace, and love, and joy, (and the best part of all...) and matchless, unbroken fellowship with Himself.”
God continually heals me of the issues that keep my soul in turmoil. I do not have greater faith than anyone else, but when satanic lies attempt to overwhelm me, I simply pray: “Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief,” and He always does (Mark 9:24).
Prayer:
Father God, bad things are always going to happen to us in this sin-cursed world; but, You always work out ALL things, even the bad things, for our good (Romans 8:28). Every negative circumstance holds the seed for a miracle, if we will only trust You and look for it. Your strength is always perfected in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:8-10).
When we are drowning in the pain of life, we do not have to be strong. You simply want us to yield to Your will and to perfectly trust in You (John 14:27). You call us to live a surrendered life and to look for the seed of a miracle in every negative circumstance. We merely need to pray, "Lord, I believe...help my unbelief."
Thought for the Day:
The key to opening the door to trust is to entirely surrender to the Lord, even when He does not work on our timetable; He can do in one day what it would take us a thousand years to accomplish, and in our instant society with our penchant for hating to wait for anything, He can make one day seem to us like a thousand years.
- 2 Peter 3:8; Psalm 62:8-12
