“Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress.” (Psalm 107:28)
Have you ever cried out loudly to the Lord, screaming and begging Him to hear you, hoping He’ll bring you out of the disaster you’re facing? I know I sure have. Over and over again.
Sometimes my cries are so blaringly loud and other times, they’re as soft as a tiny whisper. No matter the audibility from our human perspective, God hears every single one. He knows when we’re distressed and wants nothing more than to deliver us from it.
Strengthened in Him
Our walk with the Lord is never an easy one. God is always there for us, loves us unconditionally and wants a personal relationship with us. That doesn’t mean, however, that we won’t face some tremendously difficult things in our lives. We can rest assured that our Father will be there with us, to face every bump in the road. We have a guaranteed “partner” to go through life with. A steadfast shoulder to lean on.
Often times, we want immediate solutions and resolve for the conflicts or difficult times we face. We just want our problems to go away for good. Unfortunately, life just doesn’t work that way. However, we do have a God who delivers us from the pain and burden of our problems. He gives us healing and endurance to keep moving forward. It’s not with our own strength, but with His almighty power and grace.
Bump in the Road
We all have those times in our lives when we feel utterly confused and unsure of where to go. Situations arise that are beyond our control and often lead to us feeling bitter, angry, sad, etc. We can’t make those issues disappear, but we can find a way to navigate through them. We can’t always steer away from our problems, but we can steer ourselves toward our Father. He’s always waiting for us, arms stretched open wide.
Through prayer and deep immersion in Scripture, we can draw nearer to God. We can get a glimpse of His grace and unconditional, unchanging love for us. Let’s not get so caught up in our struggles, that we forget where our strength comes from. Once we acknowledge that God is in control, we can have peace that God is with us and will help us through.
Love Like Him
We are called to love others above ourselves. Sometimes the love we receive from others, besides the love of God, is that little extra we need to move forward. We all have the opportunity to receive Jesus into our hearts and lives, which means we have His perfect example of love.
Jesus states in the book of John,
“This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you.” -John 15:12 CSB
Having the love of Jesus in our hearts means we should be encouraged to share it with others.
There’s been situations in my life when simple acts of love from others have gotten me through some tough times. I knew in those moments that God ‘s love was pouring out to me, and that it was sufficient. The added acts of love from others around me, were a wonderful bonus. It helped the process of healing even more.
Our love for others should never be intended to replace God’s; it should be intended to come alongside God’s. When we give and receive love, it’s a glimpse of the love of Jesus. Every time we pour into others, we get to show them a little of who Jesus is.
Our Great Deliverer
We live in an imperfect world, which means distress is always going to play a role in our lives. The world is full of tragic and scary occurrences (natural disasters, murders, mass shootings, trafficking, etc.) and will only continue to get worse and worse. Luckily for us, we have hope in a merciful, loving, mighty and everlasting God. His promises are true and we have the assurance of an eternal home, once we leave this temporary one.
Knowing we can’t escape times of hurt and tragedy, should make us yearn for Jesus. We can’t predict what will happen throughout our lifetimes, but we can trust in the Lord and strive to know Him deeply and affectionately. The hope we have, rests solely on His shoulder. God is unchanging and his love for us will never run dry. The more we cling to him daily, the more of His presence we’ll see in times of distress.
“And he replied, ‘My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.'” -Exodus 33:14 CSB
Many times, the events in our lives are unpredictable and unstoppable. God never promises us an easy route in life, but He does promise a great reward on the other side. He also offers us ease from the burdens of life when we solely trust in Him and call on His name.
“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” -Matthew 11:28 CSB
Please pray with me for those affected by the hurricanes. Let’s pray for God’s protection over them and peace in their hearts/minds, knowing He is in control.
Have a great week! If you enjoyed this post, please feel free to leave a comments below and share! 🙂
Beverley Wallstead
Loving Others as God first loved us to me is the ultimate command, that relationship with him is crucial for survival.
groundsandgrace.com
So true, Beverley! I absolutely agree…having a relationship with God helps us navigate through the messiness of life. Such a blessing to know we’re loved by Him and can love others in return.
Rosalie
LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS
Thank you for sharing, and perfectly timed.
groundsandgrace.com
So glad you enjoyed this! Thank you for reading! 🙂