“…we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.” 2 Chronicles 20:12
Our family has had a few days filled with very difficult circumstances. I was in the midst of writing a post titled “Hot Water Bottle Miracles” in which I was sharing several ways we’ve seen the Lord working in the lives of our young adult children recently, when unexpectedly things started to go downhill rapidly.
I just realized as I began to write this article that our enemy doesn’t want me to give God the glory for all that He’s done and is doing in our lives. So, you can look forward to that article next, but first let me share with you how I’m convincing myself to keep my eyes on the Lord during difficult trials.
- Who we are and what we are shows up in a crisis.
It’s easy to rejoice and worship when things are going well – but confront a trial and suddenly we begin to question God. I was reading Job this morning. Most of us are familiar with Job 1:21:
“And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
I turned to that verse because we are faced with losing a loved one and I wanted to remind myself that he really belongs to the Lord and that I needed to release the Lord to take him if that was His plan.
But it was the second part of verse 22 that jumped out at me:
“In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.”
It’s easy to forget God’s goodness when we are faced with a trial and foolishly accuse Him of many things like not caring, not listening, not doing what we want Him to do or think He should do. These thoughts are indeed charging God foolishly.
The article I was writing on miracles talks about the Lord seeing the big picture and providing everything at the perfect time. How does that change when what He brings isn’t something that we want?
- Remember who God is and what He has promised and done.
God hasn’t changed just because He has allowed a trial in our life.
Psalm 89:8 “O LORD God of hosts, who is a strong LORD like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee?”
Deuteronomy 7:9 “Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;”
- Use the means of grace – prayer, Word of God, fellowship – to focus on God and how He plans to use this to change you into His Image – after all, that is His purpose and our desire.
Psalm 17:15 “As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.”
- Stand fast and see the victory you will have in Christ Jesus.
1 Chronicles 29:11 “Thine, O LORD is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.”
- Rejoice in what the Lord is doing and going to do in your life. Then, while you wait, get busy doing what He has given you to do.
Still Finding Joy in the Journey,
Phyllis
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Phyllis Sather
Proclaiming God’s Faithfulness at:
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1 Comment
Wendy Gunn
This was so good. I am praying.
Wendy