Through the Fire

 Psalm 66:12
…We went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.

The verse brings to my mind the great hymn of the church, God Leads Us Along, “Some through the waters, some through the flood, some through the fire, but all through the blood; some through great sorrow, but God gives a song, in the night season and all the day long.” The fire purges, and the water cleanses. Everything in life happens for a purpose. God’s intention is to bring us through. Things in life happen and we may be tempted to give up and quit trying. Even when we stand for what is right, the devil has a way to twist things and have us question if we have done the right thing. The fire is sometimes intense and we are tried and proven.  We don’t necessarily praise God for the trials and tough times, but we can praise Him in spite of the difficulties of the circumstance. Going through the fire looks different for everyone. Whatever the fire is, God is not tempting us so that He may see us fail, but He desires that we put our trust in Him, and be willing to give thanks in everything.(1 Thess 5:18) Through the fire, you will prove your character by praising Him.

Helping Hand of God

Nehemiah 6:9 For they all made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it be not done. Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.

It is through His grace and strength that we are able to overcome the obstacle and difficulties that we face each day. The world will press us to do things that will take us down the wrong track. We must stay focus on the job that God has given us to do. Whatever that may be if God said it should and can be done, we need to trust Him that He is able to help us see it through. 

My Help Come from God

Psalm 121: 1,2 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. 

Getting help when you need it is not always available. There are times when I could use some help lifting or moving something heavy, but everyone I know is busy or not available. It times like this, I either have to be creative or just wait for another time. Calling for help recognizes that we cannot do things in our own strength, we need someone else to give assistance. During times of trial or difficult hardship, we often cry out for help. Our hearts our broken with grief at the passing of a loved one, we find ourselves in a place where we our financially in need of funds, we have just been given the pink slip dismissing us from our jobs, or we are told that we have a serious illness,  the list goes on. Where can we go to get some help? Our emotions have been depleted, and our spiritual life is on the edge. On a hill far away in time, hangs the Savior of the world, Jesus who came to this world to give us salvation and the help to overcome the tough times in our lives. I will look to Jesus, a helper in time of need. He is all I need. As the beggar cried out to Jesus to help him by restoring his sight, I cry out to Him, “Jesus, from whence comes my help, you are able to help me through, for I am weak, but you are strong”.

Tribulation in Life

John 16:33…In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Tribulations are inevitable. Life without problems is to be expected on this earthly journey. Being a Christian does not exempt one from facing difficult times. God’s love does not mean that we will not face sickness, hard times, or even an early death. We live in a broken down world caused by sin and bad things will happen. People will be mistreated, things will be stolen, murder is in the hearts of wicked people. Blaming these things on God is often the first reaction of most people. Jesus warned us that life will happen and it will not always be good, but He promised us that He would not leave us or forsake us. In the mist of tribulation we can be of cheer. The world and all of it problems are overcome when we put our trust in Jesus. For He is the one who can take us through and bring us safely on the other side. We can be more than conquerers and overcome life’s trial and tribulations when we allow Christ to carry us through.

Trouble Days

Psalm 86:7 “In the day of my trouble I will call upon Thee, for Thou wilt answer me.”- 

Every generation has times of trouble. We live in trouble days, problems on every hand. We all face them, some more severe than others. We encounter trouble at work with a co workers or our boss, we may be facing financial trouble paying our bills, meeting our obligations. Because we are human and prone to make mistakes, we sometimes create our own trouble. Getting in trouble is most often due to something we did foolishly or carelessly. Driving too fast will cause us to get in trouble with the law, and we may have to pay a fine. Money out of budget may keep us from making the car payment, the list of trouble continues. Even in times where we drop the ball, we serve a God of mercy, and we can call on Him and He will answer. Troubles will come our way and sometime unexpectedly. It times like this, God will pour out His grace and give us just what we need to face the trouble before us.