Showing posts with label distress. Show all posts
Showing posts with label distress. Show all posts

February 8, 2012

In Troubled Times…

From YouVersion Reading Plan: 60 to Start

24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

This is from a reading plan I started just a few days ago, and while reading this portion of the plan I was lead to share with you…

Like so many others my family is going through a time of rough waters…a loss of a job has lead it to be very tight here, and there have been times we have been tempted to worry as bills pile up, rent goes unpaid, and we didn’t have a vehicle to even start fixing the issues of man. 

It’s times like these that we are so tempted to worry, to cry out, to stress and become short tempered with one another, yet we know we’ve gone through worse and God got us through those times, so do we trust that He will see us through this as well.  God knows what we need, and many times we may not have what we want, but He does provide what is needed.  I know at the time it doesn’t seem like it, but looking back I know that during many of the times of turmoil we gained something so much more then the money we needed to pay our bills or get something we needed.  It is well known and viewed that in times of trouble many of us lean closer to Him, because when the times are good so many feel that they have less need of Him, which is so untrue!  But such is the way of man…

Going through the rough times are hard, I can’t say it isn’t, but knowing that no matter what happens if we can put our trust in Him, share with him our burdens and lean on Him, we will be lead out of those times into more gentle waters.  I know we get impatient, we of course want out now, but I also know that during the times of troubles things can be revealed to us that we may not have looked for in times of joy. 

So if you’re going through times of trouble at the time you are reading this, know that He is there with you, that He knows your needs and trust in Him to open the needed doors for you to get you through.  Give Him time, for He works in His time not ours, and so often if we just trust in Him and let Him lead us instead of us plowing ahead, greater things will happen then what we ever could have done ourselves.

December 16, 2011

A Prayer of Faith in Times of Distress

I use YouVersion for managing my daily Bible Study and Reading.  I just started the Life Application Study Bible ® Devotion  reading plan and thought the first reading would be helpful for others.  As I go through my reading plans (I have more than one going at a time) I will post here those that I feel have some meaning or that may be helpful to various things survivors of domestic violence may be experiencing.

Psalm 6:6 - I am worn out from sobbing.
All night I flood my bed with weeping,
drenching it with my tears.

Pouring out his heart with tears, David was completely honest with God. We can be honest with God even when we are filled with anger or despair because God knows us thoroughly and wants the very best for us. Anger may result in rash outward acts or turning inward toward depression. But because we trust in our all-powerful God, we don't have to be victims of circumstance or be weighted down by the guilt of sin. Be honest with God, and he will help you turn your attention from yourself to him and his mercy.

The above verse and additional notes from YouVersion tells us two main things; be honest with God and do not hold onto to our anger.  Turn our anger over to God.  Regardless of whether we are angry with ourselves or with others, turn it over to God, trust Him to help you deal with it.  After reading this I decided to go look further... what does the rest of this particular Psalm say? 

After reading all of Psalm 6 I thought it may make a good prayer in its entirety.  I’ve copied it below for quick reference when you may be feeling overwhelmed, angry beyond reason, depressed or distressed either physically, mentally (emotionally) or spiritually.

This prayer of faith to use in times of distress says several things to us.  It tells us to trust in God and be honest with Him about what our troubles are.  It tells us to turn our distresses over to Him and know that He will handle them.  It also gives us hope to go on, knowing that God has heard our plea and prayer and will help us in His loving way.

Psalm 6 - 1 O LORD, don’t rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your rage.2 Have compassion on me, LORD, for I am weak.  Heal me, LORD, for my bones are in agony.3 I am sick at heart.  How long, O LORD, until you restore me?4 Return, O LORD, and rescue me.  Save me because of your unfailing love.5 For the dead do not remember you.  Who can praise you from the grave?t6 I am worn out from sobbing.  All night I flood my bed with weeping, drenching it with my tears.7 My vision is blurred by grief; my eyes are worn out because of all my enemies.8 Go away, all you who do evil, for the LORD has heard my weeping.9 The LORD has heard my plea; the LORD will answer my prayer.10 May all my enemies be disgraced and terrified.  May they suddenly turn back in shame.

There are basically four things that David is saying in Psalm 6.  First he makes a petition for God’s mercy in time of distress, then he immediately praises God and states that praise comes from the living.  Then David describes his suffering and knowing that God has heard him he reprimands his enemies.

I welcome your comments!