Tag Archives: hard times

July 10

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Psalms 75, 76, 77, 80

Have you ever had a bad day? I mean a really, really bad day – or week – or year when nothing goes right, when your heart is broken, when you lose hope?

The writer of the 77th Psalm was in distress. His soul refused to be comforted. He cried out to God in anguish. He groaned. He was too troubled to speak.

But he didn’t allow himself to stay there. Look at 77:5:

“I thought about the former days, the years of long ago; I remembered my songs in the night.”

Then in 11&12 he says:

“I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds.”

Then he goes on to do just that.

Satan would have us live defeated. Let’s not give him even one minute. I think the psalmist had the right idea. Instead of dwelling on all the reasons you have to be distressed, try thinking about all the ways you are blessed. Starting with Jesus’ work on the cross on your behalf. Consider the ways you have seen God work in your life instead of continuing to agonize over whatever is troubling you.

I’m not saying it’s wrong to hurt when bad things happen. Jesus wept when his friend Lazarus died. I’m just suggesting with the psalmist that counting your blessings goes a long way to defeating Satan’s attempt to steal your joy.

Father in Heaven, some of us are hurting. Some of us have reason to be distressed and downhearted. We give you our grief, our fears, our anguish. Help us to praise you, to remember how blessed we are in spite of what is troubling us. Help us not to dwell on the problems we face, but to look upon you our Savior, our Healer, our Shepherd, our King, our Friend, Almighty God who has the power to help us through the darkest days and who promises to go with us every step of the way. May we who go to you with broken hearts, know the strength that comes from you and the joy that comes from praising you.

June 24

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2 Kings 14:7-14, 5:1-7:2; 2 Chronicles 25:11-24

God continues to perform miracles through Elisha. Naaman is healed of leprosy, an axe head floats, a famine ends. But miracles don’t always happen, do they? What do you do when prayers aren’t answered like you believe they should?

My life change drastically one year ago today. A sunny Sunday afternoon turned into the darkest day of my life in an instant. My twenty-two year old nephew lost control of his pickup and was killed, leaving us with broken hearts and a grief that is unspeakable.

We had been praying for Geoff. Some of his life choices concerned us. Geoff was a Christian but ran with young people who had no interest in the Lord. We prayed God would intervene, would bring Christian friends into his life, that he would tire of that life style. His mom prayed that God would bring him through this season of life.

We didn’t get our miracle that day. God didn’t take over the controls of that truck and steer it away from the trees. 

We didn’t get our miracle that day. But Geoff did. We are living with death. Geoff is living life. We grieve. He praises God. We mourn. He rejoices.

We are a family of faith. And I can honestly say that we don’t blame God. We’re not angry that we didn’t get our miracle. We know God loves Geoff more than we ever could. But people of faith still hurt when a loved one dies. That void, that empty chair will always be there this side of heaven.

But we don’t grieve like those who have no hope. Because, one day I’ll see those sparkling big brown eyes again and I’ll see that ornery grin. My hope is built on Jesus and he promised he was preparing a place for us in heaven. Geoff is there because he knew Christ as his Savior. 

Can I ask you to pray for us today? Geoff’s mom, dad and sister, his aunts and uncle, cousins who loved him like a brother. We are hurting today. The memory of what happened one year ago is still so fresh. My prayer is that we will honor God in our time of grief. May we still choose to praise God for the privilege of having Geoff in our lives. I wish you’d known him. You would have loved him, too.

June 18

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I Kings 22:36-40; 2 Kings 1:1; 2 Chronicles 19:1-11, 20:1-30; Psalms 46, 47, 48

Judah was in trouble. Word reached King Jehoshaphat that a vast army was coming to destroy them. The king knew he and his army were no match for the enemy.

Have you ever felt like that? Like the circumstances of life are such that you feel you can’t face them and win? Have you ever looked ahead and thought, it’s too much?

We can all learn from Jehoshaphat’s example. The first thing he did was to proclaim a fast. Not a quick-start to a diet fast, but a down on your knees, heartfelt, honest time of prayer instead of eating. A time of seeking God, earnestly pouring themselves out before God.

Then the people gathered together. Listen to some of what Jehoshaphat prayed that day:

For we have no power to face this vast army (insert whatever it is you are facing) that is attacking us. We don’t know what to do, BUT OUR EYES ARE ON YOU. (2 Chronicles 20:12)

The third thing they did was to set out for battle. Have faith in The Lord, Jehoshaphat says. Then he told them to praise God. Before the battle, during the battle. Praise God.

Verse 22 says, “As they began to sing and praise, The Lord set ambushes against the (enemy)”.

So here’s what I think is an example of how to face life’s troubles. 1) Seek God, fast if you can, 2) Pray. Admit your helplessness and lay it all at God’s feet, 3) Get up and get going. 4) Praise God before, during, and after. Praise God.

Be sure to read Psalm 46 today. Especially if you feel you are in a situation with no hope. I’m telling you there is hope. God is our refuge and strength in all circumstances. Seek him. Trust him. Praise him.

Father in heaven, thank you once again for your Word that speaks to hearts today. Some of us are going through things in this life that are overwhelming and we just don’t know what to do. May we keep our eyes on you. May we seek you, trust you, and praise you in all things. Remind us that you are our strength, our refuge. Be exalted, Lord.

May 4

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Psalms 124, 108, 60, 44, 20; 2 Samuel 8:9-14, 23:18-19; 1 Chronicles 18:9-13, 11:20-21

Even David experienced defeat once in a while. He knew what it was to be distressed and feel as though God had forgotten his misery. He boldly questions God – Why do you sleep? Why do you hide your face?

Sometimes I think we put undue pressure on each other by suggesting a sanctified life is like a walk in the park. We may get the idea that having faith means always accepting life with a smile on our faces. We may even have been told that Christians never question God, that doing so is a sin. 

I’ll tell you right now that there have been things that have happened in my life that have caused me to ask some questions. I don’t believe God intends for us to stop thinking and feeling when we accept him as our Savior. 

But I, like David, have learned that even when I don’t understand, God assures me of his love and gives me hope. There is something… Someone… greater than anything this world can hand me. 

So I will continue to question. I’ll continue to ask for victory. I’ll keep on going to God with my heart’s desire. And even though I may not get the answers I think I need this side of heaven, I’ll trust him because he can be trusted and he loves me more than I can even imagine. 

 

April 24

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Psalms 69, 86, 131, I Samuel 28:3-25

We can learn so much from reading David’s psalms about how to face difficult times. He could pour out his heart to God with such detail I can almost feel his pain. Sometimes when I read him I wonder how he could know me so well and put into words what I am feeling myself.

But in each of these psalms David doesn’t dwell on his problems. After he lays it all out there he changes his focus from looking inward to looking upward. I imagine David writing these verses of praise and not really feeling all that positive. But he chose praise over self-pity. He forced himself to look away from the problems and into the face of the problem-solver.

Once again I am reminded that God inhabits praise. If I am feeling he’s not near I need to sing his praises. He is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. He is great and does marvelous deeds. He loves me with a great love.

Years ago the Imperials, a Christian quartet sang a song that has just come to mind. I hope they will forgive me for using this without their permission but if I remember correctly the words go:

Praise the Lord.

He can work through those who praise him.

Praise the Lord

For our God inhabits praise.

Praise the Lord

For the chains that seem to bind us

Serve only to remind us

That they drop powerless behind us

When we praise the Lord.

Father in Heaven, I praise you today. I give you my heart aches and troubles and know you are all I need. May my focus be on you today and may I have a thankful heart for all the blessings you have showered on me.

March 23

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Psalms 90, Deuteronomy 31:30-32:52

Moses calls God the Rock. The Rock whose works are perfect (32:4), the Rock his Savior (32:15), the Rock is the Lord according to verse 30 and is greater than any other rock on whom people build their lives “as even our enemies concede”. (32:31)

Jesus told the parable of the wise and foolish men. The foolish man built his house on the sand (which is millions of tiny rocks by the way). But when a storm came the house collapsed. The wise man’s house, built on the Rock, could endure the worst storms because it’s foundation was strong.

We are all building our lives one day, once choice at a time. Some people try to build their’s on the love of a husband, wife, or children. Some on a career. Some on intellect or education. Some on having fun or even having a healthy body. Some may even try to build their lives on several different things. But remember… sand is still sand whether it’s one grain or millions.

There is only one wise choice… and that is to build our lives on the Rock, to have that right relationship with God, to be in His Word, to pray, to live according to His rules.

Storms will come. Life can be pretty difficult. Bad things happen. Am I building my life on the Rock?

Anything or anyone else will eventually fail.

Dear God, Moses recognized that You are the Rock. May we do the same. And may we make the choices today needed to build our lives on the sure foundation. May we walk with You today.

January 11

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Job 22-26

Job is very confident in God. He doesn’t understand God and questions why these things are happening to him. He longs to speak to God face to face to present his case but realizes that is not possible.

Then he says…But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.

That’s what God wanted Job to learn about himself. God doesn’t “test” us to learn something about us he doesn’t know. He knows everything about me including the number of hairs on my head. God allows things to happen in our lives so we can test ourselves.

2012 taught me that yes, I DO believe God is able to get us through the hard times. Yes, my faith in God doesn’t depend on easy living. Yes, God works through the hardest of times and reveals his great love. It taught me that God is trustworthy, loving, and does all things well. It taught me that it’s ok to question God but in the end, I can lay it all at his feet and rest in his care.

Job trusted God so much that, even  in the midst of suffering, he knew he would be ok in the end. Better than ok. He would be like gold.

Thank you,God for teaching me about you… and about me. Help me to learn the lessons you have for me today. Thank you for knowing the way I take and for the assurance that you are with me every step.

January 6

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Job 4-7

I kind of like Job’s friends. They heard their friend was in trouble and they went to him. I don’t know how far they traveled but I know they didn’t catch a flight or take the turnpike. Going to Job was probably not an easy thing to do. But they went because their friend was hurting.

When they saw how much agony Job was in they just sat with him. For seven days and nights! They sat without trying to fix Job or make him feel better. Talk about support, sensitivity, love. These guys had it all.

But then they opened their mouths. I’m sure they meant well. And some of what they said is true. But they would have been more helpful if they had remained silent.

Eliphaz starts off by suggesting Job’s troubles were a result of sin in Job’s life. (He didn’t know about the conversation between Satan and God which started the whole thing) Eliphaz believes Job is being punished for some horrible deed he has committed. After all, he says… Who, being innocent has ever perished? Were the upright ever destroyed?

Um… yes. Babies die. People are killed for proclaiming Christ. Bad things happen in a sinful world to both good people and bad.

Here’s the other thing. We all deserve to be punished. There is no one righteous… not even one. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. If God treated sin with disease, death, and tragedy there wouldn’t be anyone alive today.

But God longs to treat sin with grace. He took on himself the punishment for sin and offers forgiveness to anyone who asks. There are consequences for sin in this lifetime, of course. Whether it’s weeds growing in a garden, broken marriages resulting from infidelity, diseased livers from abusing alcohol, and everything in between, sin has devastating results. I worked for a principal who often talked about ‘natural, logical consequences’. If you put your hand in a fire you will get burned. If you don’t do your homework you will fail. If you jump off a cliff you will get hurt.

What God wants us to know is that He is not up there with a zapper, waiting for us to mess up so He can inflict harm. He wants us to know He is a loving God who is rooting for us to do the right thing. He doesn’t take any joy in seeing us suffer the natural, logical consequences for disobeying Him.

There are no guarantees that if you are good, good things will happen. There is no promise that if someone is unfair to you, something bad will happen to them. There is, however, a guarantee that no matter what happens in this life, God is standing next to us, ready and willing to help us get through it. God wants us to see Him, not the situation. He wants us to experience His strength when we have none of our own.

Thank you, Lord for grace. For forgiveness. For your love and care. And even when things in this life go wrong, may we trust you. Give us the ability to use our life experiences to proclaim Christ. May the choices we make today honor You and enable us to live healthy productive lives for Jesus’ sake.

January 5

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Job 1-3

I remember the moment I learned my nephew Geoff died in an auto accident. I remember the panic, the confusion. I remember how hard it was to breathe. I remember the tears and the pain. The news of that sudden death tore through me like a knife.

Is that how Job felt the day he lost everything? Does losing ten children hurt worse than losing one? How can you measure grief?  I was Geoff’s aunt, not his mom. Does that mean my grief is insignificant?

I have found that grief is very personal. Each member of my family has dealt with Geoff’s death differently. Some cry openly. Others control their tears until they are alone. Some want to talk about Geoff and some still find talking about him too painful.

Job’s first reaction to the news of his great loss was to fall on his knees before God. He said something like… You give and you take away. I have nothing that didn’t come from you. And I will praise you today and every day.

That’s not easy. But it’s right. We were blessed to have Geoff in our lives for 22 incredible years. And now that he has seen Jesus and experienced heaven, Geoff wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. There is an enormous comfort in knowing that.

So it’s not a matter of degree. Grief is grief. Loss is loss. But we can learn from Job to praise God in every circumstance. I don’t know what, if any, loss you are experiencing now. But I do know first hand that God is praise-worthy. I would never tell you to get over it or stop being sad. Those are things you have to deal with in your own time. But I will tell you that there is strength available to get you through today. There is joy in knowing the Lord and trusting Him with every detail of your life, even the darkest places.

May we, like Job, praise God.