Psalm 86:1-7 (NLT)
“1 Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer; answer me, for I need your help. 2 Protect me, for I am devoted to you. Save me, for I serve you and trust you. You are my God. 3 Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am calling on you constantly. 4 Give me happiness, O Lord, for I give myself to you. 5 O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help. 6 Listen closely to my prayer, O Lord; hear my urgent cry. 7 I will call to you whenever I’m in trouble, and you will answer me.”
We wouldn’t expect anything but the truth from our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. He is the living Word of God. He always taught the disciples the truth, because he taught them exactly who he is, what he came to do, and what he expects from us. He also made it clear that in life on earth, you and I can expect to go through trials and tribulations. The psalmist cried out to God for help in Psalm 86. Thousands of years later this beautiful record of his prayer is just as relevant today for all of us as it was for him when he first prayed it. God does not cause trials and tribulations to occur. They are birthed from the kingdom of darkness; and we know that satan is the ruler of that dark world. Trials and tribulations are concocted by the devil to attack us in our most vulnerable places. The devil does this to diminish our trust in God, and to hinder our relationship with Heavenly Father through the Lord Jesus Christ.
As believers, we know what the enemy means for bad, God will use for our good. God tells us in Romans 8:28 that HE will cause ALL things to work together for our good. As we are going through a wilderness experience and dealing with troubles and tribulations, we must remember Romans 8:28. This is extremely important because of the emotional and mental exhaustion we sometimes go through. It is during these times that we feel the broadness of the weakness that the enemy has attacked. We might have never considered it before. We might not have known ourselves to be as weak in a certain area as the pain of the attack reveals, but God allows us to see the truth of the weakness so that we allow His strength to make it strong.
A trial or tribulation will always make us respond. The devil will try to make us respond in fear, because fear increases his kingdom. God will always require us to respond in faith! So, trials and tribulations will either drive us toward God or away from God. The choice is up to us.
Psalm 91:1 (NLT) tells us, “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” Very often, our weakness reveals the place we tried to hide from God, or it reveals the place we refused to let His love in. Tribulation will expose these weak places, and it will also expose an opportunity to run to God, cling closer to Him, and find rest in His shelter. Hardships have the uncanny ability to do this, they force our junk to the surface. We can then examine it, repent, release it, and let God handle it.
No matter what we’re facing, we must trust and believe that God is going to see us through. God tells us in 2Corinthians 12:9 that His strength works best in our weakness. We can’t give up during times of great challenge and difficulty. We can’t quit. Trouble should drive us closer to Heavenly Father through the Lord Jesus Christ. It is an opportunity to see God greater, as He strengthens us through the trial and tribulation, gives us the victory and receives the glory He so deserves.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Driven to God” written by Kim Times, edited by Reverend Fran Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2018. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.