Tag: Sorrows

How to Know Hope When Facing Trials in the World

Also I in the first year of Darius the Mede, even I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him. And now will I shew thee the truth. Daniel 11:1-2

The messenger of God is standing before Daniel prepared to give Daniel a detailed account of events that are to come for the nation of Israel. The future includes years of tribulation and sorrow. There will be moments of severe distress for the nation before the time when God establishes His Kingdom on earth. The messenger begins with: 1. God is in control and 2. I will show you truth.

 

When heartbreak, trials, suffering, uncertainty all are before us; we need to know that very same message. We need to know that God is in Control and He will tell us truth. God has never said, “Everything is going to be easy here on earth. Follow me! I will give to you: health, wealth and success.” No, quite the contrary, He has said,

“In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. I Peter 4:12-13

Throughout my life, I have learned to hold tight to these two truths with all my heart and soul.

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How to Really Know Faith when Facing Fiery Trials

If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Daniel 3;17-18

When fiery trials of life come into our lives, all too often we despair or become angry. We may cry out to God with that piercing question, “Why?” We pray for a miracle when a loved one is ill and then wonder what happened when our loved one dies anyway. Couldn’t God have saved them? Couldn’t God have prevented the storm from ripping away all that I clung to on this earth? Couldn’t God have prevented the Cancer or the years of illness that followed? Of course, He could have!! But He didn’t in my case and often He doesn’t; yet, what He does is more miraculous than the miracle we are asking for.

Nebuchadnezzar had quickly forgotten his own words concerning God spoken to Daniel: “Of a truth it is that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings” (Daniel 2:47). Most certainly, he had either forgotten or misunderstood Daniels proclamation, “Thou, O King, art a king of kings, for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory” (Daniel 2:37). Much like a lot of people we meet. Perhaps they have come to the awareness of God; but, quickly become more occupied in their own self exaltation. Never falling to the ground in praise or awe of God’s Grace and Glory toward them. So it was,

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How to Face This Pain, Today With Strength and Hope

I awoke this morning with a sudden, severe pain in the low back. I realized it was there the moment I tried to turn over and worse when I tried to stand. I tried to remember if I had done anything different to trigger this; but, could not remember anything. It comes from time to time; fortunately, not too often. Perhaps a reminder of an old injury in which I had been violently kicked in the low back. To add to my dilemma, I awoke with a mind that is blank. Perhaps it would be a writer’s suicide to confess, that I write my post the morning of my posting it. Oh, many times the scriptures on which I will be writing have been playing day and night in my head as I spend the hours in prayer—waiting for a word, a thought, and a whisper from God’s Spirit within me. When the post is ready to upload; often, I have failed the final edit (lack of time) as I scurry off to my day job. Yet, that is the reality of my life. Perhaps the reality of most lives. We could wish that we were more polished, the perfect post which has been reviewed and refined. We wish we never had the blank mind when our friends ask for advice. We wish we weren’t bogged down at times by the pain of an old scar, an injury that tears at our heart.

Perfect plan

As we move now into the final chapter of John in this series which we began back in August, we find Peter fishing. Jesus had appeared to the apostles twice before. Yet, neither time had Jesus brought up the one thing pressing on the mind of Peter—the denial. Had he been forgiven? What were they to be doing next? So, in the meantime—Peter had gone to do what he knew best. He went fishing. He did not sit idle while awaiting his assignment. He went about the business of fishing. This way he could provide for himself, his family and even to help feed the apostles. Life continued. Now they knew that Jesus had risen from the dead and they had yet to be commissioned to spread the gospel. Still life on this earth goes on. So what do we do when pain makes every movement difficult? Or when doubt tries to fill our spirits? Or when, our mind is blank awaiting that next inspiration?

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