“Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city” (Acts 18:9-10). Sometimes we feel that we are alone when we are faced with difficult circumstances and that God is not listening to our cries. There have been times when we felt abandoned by the Lord for a season. Job must have felt that at times, but I have good news for you, today: God is still on the throne and he does care. He does know that we are struggling and he is well aware of our plight in this day. Why do you think that he calls us to pray? It’s not an exercise in humility. It is because we must build up our most holy faith by praying in the Holy Ghost. We have a weapon of prayer that we may not fully realize that we have. Many times we come before God with our petitions because it is required of us, but God desires us to come before him because we want to fellowship with him. He knows our every need and that he will be able to meet our needs when we learn to humble ourselves and pray.
“Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually,” (I Chronicles 16:11). I admit it: we often get too busy to stop long enough to seek the Lord. We are constantly rushing throughout our day at such a break-neck speed that it isn’t any wonder that when we finally do, be still, we crash from exhaustion. Is this all really necessary? Or, is it a trap by Satan to rob us of our inheritance in Jesus Christ? If the enemy can stir up a troubled sea, he will succeed in distracting us to the point that we could fall away. How can we cope with the distractions of life? We can’t move away and become a recluse? We must live in this world and lift up a standard against those who don’t have the same beliefs as we do.
“It is better to put trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man” (Psalm 118:8). We can have all of the latest gadgets at our disposal, but gadgets break, get lost, and we are left with nothing; however, if we look to the Lord, he promises that we can trust him.
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). We don’t always understand the things that the Lord allows for us to go through. How many times have you questioned God’s direction? In times when we are unsure, and everything seems to be going in the opposite way from how we envisioned it to go: remember, God has a plan and a purpose for each of our lives. We can trust him to work it out for our good, even when it doesn’t seem good. Let’s acknowledge him and put our trust in him. He knows the way through the storms of life.
“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). We can have faith in God. When no one else listens, we can go to the Lord in prayer, and he will listen and answer every need. He will put us at peace in the middle of intense battle.
“And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing” (I Thessalonians 4:11). Finally, let’s work together in unity and do what the Lord has called us to do. He has called us to worship and prayer. He has given us his blessing, and in quiet confidence we can overcome.
May the Lord richly bless you and your family in the coming years. -gm
This blog gives honor to those who still trust in the Lord and seek his face. "The joy of the Lord is your strength." May you always remember that to continually be blessed by the Lord, you must continually pour out your blessing on others.
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