“In my distress I prayed to the LORD, and the LORD answered me and set me free” (Psalms 118:5 ).
At the height of the HIV pandemic it was common to find households that had lost almost all adult children, as happened to one mother. When I met her this mother who had lost all her five sons had given up on life, and sat all day as still as a cold stone. According to 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Believers in Christ are urged to be “thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” But how do you give praise to God when like this mother you have hit the very bottom? This can be tough!
The Bible has one person who hit the bottom too! When we look at the life of David we might have reason to wonder how he handled it all. In his life King David would experience the dimensions of joy at killing Goliath (1 Samuel 17:51); to crushing grief from enduring a sleuth of tragedies: the loss of a best friend Jonathan in battle (1 Sam 31:2); being pursued and forced into exile by King Saul; the loss of a son ( 2 Samuel 12:19); the loss of a kingdom to a rebellious son, Absalom (2 Sam 15: 1-20), and much more.
For all these tragedies somehow David never lost his trust in God. When he had hit the very bottom, he wrote, “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer” (2 Samuel 22:2). Down he looked to God for deliverance: “In my distress I called to the Lord; I called out to my God … He drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me” (2 Samuel 22:7).
Any of us may hit the bottom, for such is life! But like David, may we not lose our faith but continue to look up to God for deliverance. “In my distress I prayed to the LORD, and the LORD answered me and set me free” (Psalms 118:5).
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, sometimes we find ourselves at the very bottom, but like your servant David even when down and low, my our faith in you remain steadfast, because you deliver, this I pray in Jesus’s name!
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02/05/2024 - 03/05/2024 All day“That is why for Christ’s sake I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12:10)
We all crave to be blessed in life. But was there a believer who was so blessed beyond any circumstances without experiencing some sort of discomfort, in one way or another! A person may apparently be blessed in every single way yet have one troubling matter that constantly drives him down to his knees.
The one mightily blessed with riches may have a family situation that leaves him ever on edge. Someone who seems to be at the height of his profession may be living with an ailment that keeps him ever on tentacles. The one blessed with abundant health might from time to time be dealing with financial woes.
Why do such troubling situations plague even believers? One explanation could be found in the Apostle Paul’s life. Called into ministry and endowed with many gifts, including amazing revelations from above, yet he had a matter that constantly drove him on his knees. “Therefore in order to keep me from being conceited, I was given a thorn in the flesh, a messenger from Satan, to torment me” (2 Cor 12: 7).
Paul would often cry out to God to free him of this particularly troubling matter. But the Lord came back with, “My grace is sufficient for you. For my power is made perfect in your weakness” (2 Cor 12: 9).
The comfort of this lesson is that God is completely aware of whatever might be ever troubling us. Moreover, it could be purposely there, that we constantly place our faith in Him, other than relying on our strength and resources, especially as He blesses us in other uplifting ways.
Prayer for today: Lord Father in heaven, today I pray that whatever matter is constantly troubling me, I know it is for a purpose and you are in total control, to bless me even more, this I pray in Jesus’ name.
