Sometimes it can seem like the entire world has turned its back on us.
Dare 2 Share -
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer. . Psalm 18:2
Perhaps you are feeling like you’re having a tough week. Yet before you get too downcast, keep reading.
Several years ago, a man named Frank Perkins of Los Angeles made an attempt on the world flagpole-sitting record. While he was on the pole, he caught the flu. Eventually, his sickness became so advanced that he was forced to come down eight hours short of the 400-day record. When he came down from his 399-day ordeal, this is what he discovered:
-
His sponsor had gone bust
-
His girlfriend had left him
-
His phone service was cancelled
-
His electricity was cut off
While most of us aren’t experiencing troubles of that caliber, all of us go through difficult and trying circumstances. ometimes it can seem like the entire world has turned its back on us. Other times it feels as though God Himself has disappeared into the blinding pain of our burdens.
Are you suffering? Let me suggest an exercise that has been helpful to me. Right now, make a list of all the negative things in your life.
Now read Psalm 18:1-6. Here is David, the “man after God’s own heart”, who is making his own list of troubles. He was threatened by enemies (v.3), surrounded by "the pangs of death" and "the floods of ungodliness" (v.4). In other words: he was dreadfully disliked, desperately discouraged, and slightly suicidal.
What hope could there be in his situation? Perhaps he could buy his way out, or fight his way out? Maybe he could muster up some serious self-talk, or converse with close companions? Would the help come in the form of money, soldiers, powerful weapons, or people who would come to his aid?
I don’t think so, and neither did David. He knew and was totally resigned to the fact that his help could only come from an inexhaustible source--the Lord, whom David called "my rock and my fortress and my deliverer" (v.2). The winds of trial were blowing hard, and David was barely hanging on. Yet he placed his trust in God- and he uses three descriptions:
My Rock: immovable, solid, secure
My Fortress: safe, impenetrable, protected
My Deliverer: rescue, freedom, escape
Like David, we can call on the Lord who is our protection. Because like all of us, David faced adversity. Let Psalm 18 remind us that when our problems are pitted against our Lord's strength, it's no contest. Troubles may be cutting your life to pieces, but remember that ‘rock breaks scissors’…
Are you in distress? Call on the Lord. He will always hear your voice.
Are your unsaved friends in distress? Pray to the Lord. Perhaps they will hear the gospel.
Questions:
1) What troubles are you trying to handle on your own?
2) Are you willing to give them over to God right now? Why or why not?
3) Do you have unsaved friends who are struggling and need to hear the saving news of the gospel?
