Dear Precious Friends
On this amazing new day I pray you are enjoying this beautiful weather and Mostly the gift of a new day that God has given us.
As we continue to walk through days of unrest, we often may wonder why and get discouraged....
2 Corinthians 1:8-9
Gives one of the clearest indications in the Bible as to why we may experience difficulties. In this incident, Paul and his companions experienced difficulties so they would rely on God and His resources. It is a hard lesson to learn because often we think we are resourceful enough not to need help from God or others. The world would tell us we can achieve anything we want, if we try hard enough. But the truth is we are so dependent on God we cannot even take our next breath unless He allows us to do so. Somehow it is in the hard times we realize we are not as competent and self-sufficient as we would like to think. Sometimes God allows difficult circumstances so we trust in Him alone.
Did Jesus suffer? Was Jesus sometimes lonely? Was He tempted to be discouraged? Was He misunderstood, maligned, and criticized unjustly? Of course! None of us are exempt from suffering, loneliness, discouragement, or unjust criticism, because God is developing within us the character of Christ, and, in order to do this, He must take us through all of the circumstances in life through which he took Christ. Does this mean God causes tragedies? No. God is good, and He will not cause evil or do evil. But God can use dark and stressful times for good. He'll use them to teach us to trust Him to show us how to help others and to draw us closer to other believers.
So often it is the sorrows and hardships of our lives which bring us to a point of seeking God, either for the first time or a subsequent time. C.S. Lewis explains it this way, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world”. So, when going through difficult times, Refuse to be discouraged. Remember God is with us!
May we rely on His protection and guidance! May His word come alive in our lives as we seek Him first knowing His truth which results in our total reliance on.May He warm your heart with the assurance that He's never left your side, never let you go.
Isaiah 43:2 NIV ~ When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
Amen
