Our Help in Trouble

There are times in life when we feel devastated, overwhelmed and hopeless. Total surrender to God is the key to making sense of our circumstances. Surrendering our family and future to God, walking away from our worries and leaving them in His hands is the only action that will keep us sane. God will give us grace for today, but tomorrow's grace will not come until tomorrow.

As long as we are still alive, we have hope (Ecclesiastes 9:4). The Lord saves the brokenhearted and those crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18). He binds our wounds and carries our sorrows (Isaiah 53:4, Psalm 147:3). Our hope comes from God alone and He gives us rest for our soul (Psalm 43:5; 62:5). As we put our hope in Him, the Lord rescues us from our trials (Psalm 39:7; 2 Peter 2:9). If we keep our faith and hope in God, anything is possible (Mark 9:23).

When trouble surrounds us and life is hard, we know that there is always a way out, because God loved us enough to lay His life down for us (2 Corinthians 4:8). God has good plans for His righteous ones and there is always hope in our future (Jeremiah 29:11). There is no need to fear anything, which life throws at us or that people threaten us with. We relinquish them all to the Lord for Him to deal with.

If we call out to the Lord, and pray to Him for help, He never fails to hear us. Our cries always reach His ears (Psalm 18:8). Our Lord and Redeemer strengthens us and holds us up with His victorious right hand (Isaiah 41:10, 13-14). Full surrender to God’s will in every circumstance is the only way to stay sane. If we continue to strive in our own way, we will continue to feel frustrated and hopeless.

We trust in God, not in our family or friends, job or bank account, talents or human reasoning, church or neighbors. If we do, we put too much pressure on others when we expect them to support us more than they already are. They will feel undue stress and push back or ignore us. We have to get our eyes off our self and onto God. Then He will keep us in perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3).

Troubles are round us on every side, but we are not shut in; things are hard for us, but God shows us a way out of them (2 Corinthians 4:8). He leads us one step at a time (Matthew 6:31-34). Do not worry about tomorrow (Matthew 6:25-30). Face today braced by God’s Spirit and praising God for who He is. Follow the leading of God’s Spirit throughout each day, even if you do not want to obey. Then, God will pour showers of blessings on you all the days of your life.

Prayer:

Father God, even when we take our focus off You in the midst of our tribulation, we know without a doubt that You are always there for us, loving us unconditionally and giving us the victory through Your death and resurrection. Nothing this world has to offer compares to the hope we have, which comes only from You (Psalm 62:5; Ecclesiastes 9:4). You are always on our side, ever loving us and drawing us daily closer to Your heart (John 6:44; Psalm 136:1).

Thought for the Day:

God’s sheltering arms keep us from falling and He lifts us up when we are discouraged. - Psalm 145:14

Hopeless and Alone

At times our soul is depressed and full of anxiety within us. We are drudging through a dry desert and our soul is parched and thirsty. That is the time to put our hope in the Lord (Psalm 43:5). God alone will pour out His Living Water on our thirsty soul and bring streams to the dry desert (Isaiah 35:1, 44:3). Our soul – our mind, will and emotions – find rest in God alone. We put our faith and trust in Him and believe that all things are possible for us in Him (Mark 9:23). We cling to Jesus when our faith fades and our strength weakens, because He understands our doubts, questions and grief over the losses in our life (Hebrews 4:15).

When we draw near to God, He renews our strength and causes us to take flight with wings like an eagle’s (Isaiah 40:31). He is close to the brokenhearted. He saves everyone who is crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18). He takes our infirmities and He carries our sorrows (Isaiah 53:4). He heals the desolate and binds up our wounds (Psalm 147:3). He upholds us when we fall and lifts us up when we are discouraged (Psalm 145:14). He rescues His godly Saints from our trials and makes all of them turn out for our good (2 Peter 2:9; Romans 8:28).

Jesus died for our sins and gives us His Spirit to fight our battles. We have no quarrel with people, but our conflict is against the dark world and spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm (Ephesians 6:12). Jesus already overcame them on Calvary’s cross. When He comes back to claim His bride, He will wipe away all of our tears and remove pain and death from the world. The old life will pass away and He will make everything brand new (Revelation 21:4).

We put our hope in the Lord only, because He alone is faithful (Psalm 39:7). Before we were ever born, He made plans for our good and not to harm us. He gives us a blessed future full of hope (Jeremiah 1:5, 29:11). We never need to fear, because He is always with us; or to feel distraught, because He is our God. He strengthens us, helps us and holds us up with His victorious right hand. Even when everyone else despises us, He will never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

There are people in our family, church, neighborhood and workplace who are dying in their sins and sorrows. They are walking in the ways of the world. They sow the wind and reap a whirlwind for their efforts (Hosea 8:7). They spend long hours accumulating things that ultimately bring them no joy. They often despair of ever finding any meaning in life. They need to know our Savior, our Lord, our Redeemer and our Holy One (Isaiah 41:10,13-14)..

Even when we take our focus off the Lord in the midst of our tribulation, we know without a doubt that He is always there for us, loving us unconditionally and giving us the victory through His death and resurrection. Nothing this world has to offer compares to the hope we have, which comes only from Him (Psalm 62:5; Ecclesiastes 9:4). This is the message that our loved ones need to hear. They need to know that God is on their side, ever loving them and drawing them to Himself (John 6:44; Psalm 136:1).

Prayer:
Lord, You are our helper, so we will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to us? In our distress we cried out to You, Lord and prayed to You for help. You hear us from Your sanctuary; our cries always reach Your ears (Psalm 18:8). Help us not to sit on the sidelines and watch those around us perish and go to hell. We present our lives to You and ask You to use us to encourage others to put their faith and trust in You. We give You our undying allegiance and we look to You for direction and sustenance in the world in which we live.

Thought for the Day:

Troubles surround us on every side, but we are not hopeless. Even when things are hard for us, God always gives us a way out of them (2 Corinthians 4:8).