Lessons from the 'Midst of Trouble'

"Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me.  You will stretch out Your hand against the wrath of my enemies and Your right hand will save me."   Psalm 138:7

This was the verse God led me to write down on an index card for today.  As soon as I saw it I thought, "Uh oh.  In the midst of trouble...?  That doesn't sound good.  Will there ever be a day when I do not have to walk in the midst of trouble on this earth?" 

As I reflect on the events of the day, yes, I can see how God is good, and His Word was just what I'd need.  He was good to have given me that scripture to cling to throughout the day.  A few things He has pointed out to me from that scripture are:

Though I am "walking in the midst of trouble...."  Sometimes we feel like we're surrounded by trouble, and this word "trouble" means "Affliction, distress, adversity, anguish, tribulation."   It's very difficult and exhausting to STAND UP, much less WALK in the midst of affliction, distress, anguish, tribulation and adversity, isn't it?  But here we see God has promised that even though we are walking in the midst of trouble, HE will revive us.  He will revive our exhausted spirit as we strive to keep walking with Him, even in our storms. 

What if our storms are caused by an enemy that could be compared to a fire breathing dragon?  An angry person whose behavior is irrational?  God says He will stretch out His hand against the wrath of our enemies.  I noticed something in this verse though.  It doesn't say He will stretch out His hand against our enemies, but instead, against their wrath. . their anger. . .the fire that they are spewing out.  Psalm 76:10 says  Surely the wrath of man shall praise you: the remainder of wrath shall you restrain.  God can use even the very wrath and anger of man to bring Himself glory.  "...the sins of the wicked are made an occasion for the display of the divine perfections in maintaining law; in the administering of justice; in preserving order. But there is another sense, also, in which the wrath of man is made the occasion for glorifying God. It is, that since there is such wrath, or since there are such wicked purposes, God makes use of that wrath, or of those wicked purposes, as he does of the powers of nature - of pestilence, disease, and storms, as instruments to accomplish his own designs, or to bring about great results...." (Barnes' Notes on the Bible) 

And it's good to note that He says, "The remainder of that wrath He will refrain."  The leftovers that He doesn't use for His glory, well, He'll just bind it up...and the wrath of our enemies can do us no harm.  It's like having a barking dog on a short chain.  The dog can snarl and bark for ever how long it wants to, but as long as it's bound by that chain, it can do us no harm, providing we are not within its reach.

 

And the last part of today's verse:  His right hand will save us.  What a picture!  Who is seated at the Father's right hand?  None other than our Savior-- Jesus!   So God wants us to understand that He will spare no expense or strength to save (deliver) us from our enemy.  And He has SPARED NO expense, because He gave us His Son, Who gave His life as the payment for OUR SIN.  Jesus saves!  AND He will deliver you and me from whatever our enemy spews out at us each day. 

Just remember though, we've got to keep walking. :o)

Father, I needed this verse today.  Thank You for this lesson from Your Word.  Apply this Word to my heart like an ointment, that will heal and strengthen me.  Thank You for Your precious promises!  I claim this one tonight, and pray for my fellow sisters and brothers out there who may be walking in the midst of trouble.  Stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of our enemy, who is Satan... and we thank You for the promise that Jesus, Who is at Your right hand, will deliver us!  In His name I pray, Amen.

Tired or Tried?

But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. 
Job 23:10

Earlier tonight I was writing an email to a friend, but I was so tired, and typing probably way too fast for my brain to keep up, that instead of typing "tired" I typed "tried."   Then I thought, "Mmmm.  How odd...Just a simple switch-a-roo of two letters, and we've got two words that are related."  

Related?  Yes...because whenever we're being "tried" (as being purged of the dross, purified) we usually become "tired" right?  Just like I mentioned in the last blog, "Are You Fed Up (or TIRED) of the Delivery?" we can grow weary from these "brown-paper-bag" circumstances we find ourselves facing on the "front door of life." 

Maybe it will help for us to remember this simple hint:  The two letters that are being switched are the letters "I" and "R."   Notice if the "i" comes first, we have the word tIred.  Isn't that the way it goes whenever we put the "I" ("me") first in viewing life's trials---we become tIred. ???  Yep.  Wondering how this will affect "me," or "why does this always happen to me?"  "when will I ever learn?" --- Worrying about "me" makes "me" TIRED! ;o)

Maybe one thing God is trying to teach us is to put the "R" first.   Rest.  Rely.  Be Reassured.  Relax.  Run to Him.  Roll over your burden on Him.   Everything changes!  We go from being tIred, to being tRied.  And what does Job say?  "But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold."  Job 23:10 (KJV) 

This is just a simple Reminder to myself to put a lot MORE "R" in my tRials and a lot LESS "I."   

Can you think of other things He's tRying to teach us to do?  It doesn't even have to start with the letter "R."   :)  

Oh Father, Thank You for a simple "typo" this evening...and for pausing me by Your Holy Spirit's nudging, to look at that once more and THINK about the truth in the simple typo.  When we look at the storms and trials in our lives from a new perspective, one that doesn't pull us into the hopelessness of  putting "self" first, but ROLL our burdens onto You, we find REST..and we also find that when we are TRIED, we shall come forth as GODL , I mean goLd.  But yes, even in that typo, I am reminded that we shall come forth as "more in the Likeness of God's image!"   Which is to be desired more than gold!  Thank You, Father!  Even in our mistakes You teach us lessons! Strengthen us Father, as we rest in Your arms tonight.  In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.  

Are You Fed Up with the Delivery?

Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.   Psalm 37: 3

 

Have you been holding on to something so tightly, and not being willing to let go?  Sometimes our unwillingness to let go stems from a lack of trust--full, wholehearted, trust in Him.  Lack of faith blinds our eyes.  II Corinthians 5:7 says, "for we walk by faith and not by sight."   It seems that having a lack of faith actually blinds our spiritual eyes from seeing the truth in God's Word:  His unfailing promise to never leave us, to provide for us, to shelter us, to lead us, to protect us, to strengthen us, to uplift us, to comfort us--you name it, anything we could ever ask for or need, He's promised to meet that need by His All-Sufficiency.   In our unwillingness to trust Him, we "think" we are walking by "sight," but we're really walking blindly.  

 

The only thing we see is our circumstances.  But we fail to realize that our circumstances are just the "wrapping paper" enclosing a hidden blessing from our Lord.  Looking at our circumstances from that perspective should stir us to run TO our circumstances instead of running from them.  Embrace the storm, and go for the blessing that is within--in the midst you'll find Him there!  

 

Everything comes with permission from our Father, Who has promised to work them out for our good and His glory (if we desire to serve Him) (Rom. 8:28)  And it's all coming to us as a gift from Him.  He purposely wraps them in "not so desirable" paper to test our faith...do we really trust that THIS is coming from our Lord, with a hidden gift and purpose for our growth in mind??  

 

Instead of getting "fed up" with these "special" deliveries, we should trust in the Lord, and do good--because He promised we will dwell in the land of promise and surely be FED.  :o) 

 

Trust Him.  I'm in the learning process too.  In this land of promise where I'm dwelling, He is surely feeding me.  I'd much rather be "fed by Him" and grow, than simply "fed up" with life's circumstances and blindly miss the gift He sent to me.  In this "letting go, yet embracing the hidden gift" process, He gave me a special arrangement of "Only Trust Him."  To take a listen, just click here..Only Trust Him  (it should load automatically.)     

If you're hungry for more out of life, embrace this life and its being wrapped in "brown-paper-bag" circumstances, and be fed by our Lord. 

 

 Dear Father, Please help us..help me...as You're teaching me to let go of "life as I know it," help me embrace the hidden gift of blessing You're sending my way.  But I will go so far as to ask for You to help me share this gift with as many people as You see fit.  Please let these lessons, sometimes difficult as they may be, be given for not just my benefit, but for others' benefit as well, and most of all for Your glory.  One more thing, Father, it would we very wise for us to remember that the greatest Gift You have sent to us is Your Son, and the salvation He offers to us was wrapped up in the most unattractive paper imaginable---the grief and pain of a brutal death on the cross.  To receive this requires us to embrace Your gift of salvation by faith, and "only trust You!"  Thank You, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, for being Our Greatest Gift!   In Jesus' Name, I humbly pray, Amen.

From Darkness to Light

Last week our Pastor requested prayer for several members of our church family who are going through extremely difficult waters right now.  Some have lost all  hope, some have given up on God...and some are becoming bitter.   As I sat there, the Lord reminded me that I was "just there" last summer.  And yet, here I am, pulled out from that darkness and back into His light.   Did He want me to encourage these people to hang in there?   I'm willing to be a vessel in His hands, to do His will.  So, after church I asked Pastor if he felt that me writing a letter to share my experience and have him deliver it to the hurting ones would be a help?   Remembering what I went through, Pastor took me by the hand, and said, "Tammi, I think it would mean more to them if they heard it straight from you.  Would you pray about taking about ten minutes to share your experience within the next week or two?"   I told him I would.   That was last Sunday.  This past week has been spent in much thought, prayer and seeking the Lord's guidance.  What did He want me to say?   All I had to do was ask Him and seek Him.

Lord willing, I will be sharing the following notes with my church family tomorrow.  Please pray for the Lord to encourage the hearts of His children, and be lifted up.

From Darkness to Light:

Recently I found a prayer I had written last July. It ended with “Losing Hope Fast. HELP, Father. I’m sinking.”

Circumstances were overwhelming me.  From where I was “standing,” the surrounding conditions were distorting my perspective of life.  I had lost ALL HOPE and given up on God.  Looking back, I’m certain that I did NOTHING to bring myself out of that darkness!

But I wonder….why is it that God would allow some of us to be touched (or SLAM RUN OVER) by darkness of depression??  What purpose does this serve anyway!?   After all---God is light..and in Him is NO DARKNESS right??   I know I am His child and have Him within me..SO PLEASE TELL ME why does He sometimes pull the veil of darkness over me and remove the SENSE of His presence?

Last Sunday, I came home and asked the Lord to show me what He wanted me to say today. And He immediately answered prayer, when I opened a devotional called, “My Utmost for His Highest.”

Matthew 10:27 says, “Jesus says, ‘What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.’” Wow.   He pulled the veil of darkness over me to TELL ME something.    And that “something” is meant to be SHARED….when I’m in the light.  

He taught me a lesson for two different groups of Christians:
(1) Either you’re discouraged by the DARKNESS of your circumstances –OR—(2) You’re basking in the Son-shine of His presence.