The Bible is replete with stories of faithful people going through terrible struggles. There was a time that Moses had to wonder about going to a sea that he couldn't possibly cross when the Egyptians came on his heels. There was a time that Elijah thought that he was the only prophet left while Jezebel chased him. The disciples of Jesus had a couple of terrible nights after Jesus was crucified.
These stories would have remained tragedies if they ended while these people were in the middle of the night in their souls. There wasn't an apparent solution. There was nothing that they could do about their situations. They had to think that these circumstances would remain the same or get worse. There doesn't seem to be any light at the end of the tunnel; no silver lining in these clouds.
But we know the rest of these stories. God arrived at what seemed the last moment. He changed the circumstances from failures to successes. He appeared when they didn't expect Him to. It wasn't a matter of them having enough faith for they had none at all. God simply came to their rescue. He pulled them through their dark night.
I must admit that there have been many struggles in my life that seemed to have no solution. I have been laughed by other preachers when I have declared that God would find a way. I have been thought to have had my head in the clouds when I have claimed that my God would not forsake me. Yet, God has always brought an end to every night.
It wasn't because of my faith either. I have been drained to the point when I stopped declaring God would find a way and stopped claiming that God would not forsake me. I have actually believed there was no way nor that God would deliver me.
I have been ashamed when He arrived for I realize how faithless I have been. I feel as Peter must have felt when he knew the Lord had heard his denial of knowing Him. I feel as if I had denied my Lord when I doubt His deliverance.
So, I would like to declare for you (and myself) that no matter what you are going through that God will find a way: no matter how dark the night, God will not forsake you (or me).
I do not doubt that your night is dark. I do not doubt that it is long. I just want you to know that there is an end to it.
Psalm 37:25 (ESV) 25 I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.
1 comment:
God declared this of His thoughts and His ways:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9)
He is God; we trust Him to know the best thing to do. The Apostle Paul said in Romans 8:28, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
In the last verse of the Gospel of Matthew, Matt 28:20, Jesus declared this to His disciples:"And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
In one of my deepest afflictions, God showed me a beautiful vision of Himself, as the Papa eagle, wearing a jacket complete with necktie, coming to care, comfort and build up once again an eaglet; and in that open vision, towards the end, I thought that Papa eagle left after comforting the distressed eaglet; only the jacket was seen, the vision went into a zoom mode, and I could see the big collar of the jacket moved, and the realization came that the Papa eagle never left, although I could not see him. We, Christians, despite our age, are all children in the eyes of God, and He is always with us, even when we do not see Him or feel Him, as was declared by Jesus, “Surely I am with you always…”
May God bless this sharing,
Anthony Chia, high.expressions
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