“We wait for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our hearts rejoice in Him, because we trust in His holy name. May Your faithful love rest on us, Lord, for we put our hope in You.” (Psalm 33:20-22 CSB)
When times look bleak, what do you do? When your life as you know it, or your personal welfare, or the welfare of your family members comes under a dark cloud of threat, what do you do, and where do you turn for help?
Some turn to themselves for strength. This is probably the first and most natural course to take, depending on how someone perceives the severity of the crisis. Folks who do this think that if they can just hold on a while longer, that this will be enough to see them through the crisis.
Some turn to those they see as stronger than themselves, hoping that the support and help of others will carry them through.
People tend to seek whatever they think will work in order to get themselves through times that are bleak and full of threat and crisis. There is nothing wrong with someone acting in their own strength to resolve a problem. There is nothing wrong with seeking the help of others when crises arise. The difficulty comes whenever the crisis spins out of control and becomes unmanageable. What if nothing works? What then?
The soul that is wise looks beyond immediate crisis to the only One who can truly sustain, to the One who provides genuine, unbreakable strength. The Lord, and only the Lord, is a help and shield during a real crisis. Only He is trustworthy, and that is because of who He is. A wise soul sees the truth of this and makes a conscious decision to put his or her hope in the Lord.
We wait for the Lord.
Father, Would you help each of us today to remember the truth that in You alone we find genuine hope, and that You alone are capable of sustaining us during the crises of our lives. Help us to not only remember this, but to purposely put our hope in You and wait for Your help. Amen.
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1 comment:
What a Joy! And a precious, precious gift. thank you Charles. I've been spending time in the Book of James this week. And the first verse. "Oh Christian consider it pure joy to have trials and tribulations, and to be persecuted, It will bring maturity and perseverance to your faith in the Lord. Not double-minded (meaning two souls), one of which is worldly and with distractions. Prayer has been my constant comforting companion, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, prayer for him to take over my conscious has really gotten me through many hurtful times of late. James' words also, "just do it" and dont think about it also keeps away distractions. I cant say God doesnt answer prayer. He does. He's answered my prayer on a number of occasions I can point to. Your carefully selected scripture is joyful and hopeful. thank you.
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