12/14/2019
Are you feeling weak and afraid today? Is there something confronting you that terrifies you, and causes you to tremble, or makes you lay awake in the night... unable to sleep because of worry? If this is true then you are refusing to leave those things with the Lord. You are carrying them into your prayer closet, placing them in the Father’s hands, and then bringing them right back out with you at the end of your time of prayer. If this is you, then you are saying that you lean on God, and yet those are just words to you.
“fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Isaiah 41:10 ESV
Our trust must always be in the promise of the Lord. In the midst of our troubles, when we are afflicted, or when our enemies surround us, our Father will strengthen us, and He will save us. He goes before us in all things. The question is this... do you believe this to be true? This is the question we should answer within our faith. If we trust that we are in God’s hand then why are we afraid, or dismayed?
“It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed."”
Deuteronomy 31:8 ESV
There was a particular time of trouble in my life when I felt certain that all was lost. I would pray and pray for a solution, but I never truly handed the issue fully to God. I would ask Him to fix the problem, but when I didn’t see any immediate movement... I would take it back into my own hands again. Is this you? Are you giving your troubles to our Heavenly Father, and then in a lack of trust do you take them back? Is your faith weak? Do you even realize how weak it is?
“Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion.”
Psalms 84:5, 7 ESV
In my situation I reached the end of my ability, and fell to the ground a broken and totally distraught man. It wasn’t until that moment that I finally realized that my own strength and ability was not enough, and it was then that I gave my problem over to the Lord in tears and total submission. I asked Him to take what I had been unable to fix... and at last I left my prayer closet without taking my problem with me... I left it there with him. As I walked away I didn’t know what the solution would be, but I trusted in Him, and I knew He would do His will, and what was best.
My problem was resolved almost immediately, and from that time forward, I have given Him my troubles without keeping a hand on them. As hard as it is, I turn them loose. I go from strength to strength in my faith, I trust in God, and Pray in the name of Jesus knowing full well the power of His name, His promise, and that He is faithful, and intercedes for me. This is my peace in the midst of life’s turmoil, and it heals my soul with the salve of God’s love, mercy, and grace.
Are you ready to sleep soundly at night, and find peace in the midst of life’s great hardships, and struggles? If you can honestly say “Yes”, then take your hand off of your troubles, and let God have them in their entirety. Are you ready to trust in God? If the answer to this question is also ”Yes”, then you are about to be transformed into a new and confident person because nothing is too difficult, or too great for our God to handle... now walk away from your prayer closet in peace, knowing He has this, and that although you don’t know the solution; in the end it will be good.
“And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:27-28 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your strong right hand that gives me victory over my troubles, and thank you for your loving kindness that soothes all my heartbreaks, and is the salve that cools my burning heart in times of mourning. Teach me Father to lean on you in total faith and submission. Help me in my unbelief, and give me your courage in the midst of my enemies. Set a table for me in the face of my troubles, and let your provision abound there. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you my God whose love, strength, mercy, and grace defeat all problems, and bring me peace and rest in your arms. Praised be your name for the comfort of your Holy Spirit, and the peace and grace that flows from your Son Jesus. Hear my prayers Holy Father, as I pray while trusting in you, and the name of Jesus. Great are you Mighty Lord, and all glory is yours in the victories you bring to my life... now, and forevermore.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV
Rich Forbes