Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into Edom? Wilt not thou, O God, which hadst cast us off? and thou, O God, which didst not go out with our armies? (Psalms 60:9-10)
One day I was watching a local wrestling fight over the screen, the challenger was much physically fit than his opponent, as the fight was about to start, his opponent said to him : I will never be intimidated by your form, I will beat you and give you a straight disgrace before the people, this angered the challenger that he immediately got into the ring and started beating his opponent, he beat him until no strength was left in his opponent, just to cling the victory, his opponent managed to gather some little strength, as the challenger was looking for some weapons to hit his foe, the man on the ground seized the opportunity , gave him some punches in the face and turned the story on his favour, he emerged a winner after the long run.
At times we are faced with enormous uncertainties, we don’t really sure of where we are going, we don’t know if we would make it at the end, these might have been one of the the things that made David to cry in utter hopelessness, he might have felt the same way like you and I, we do have the feeling that God has forsaken us.
These feelings may at times lead to hypertension, acrophobia and other kinds of psychological attacks, because these are Satan’s primary weapons against a Saint, that is why a Saint must guard his heart with the word of God.
David was a man with incredible faith, but there came a time in the life of David when his faith could not carry him any longer, at this juncture David felt the most miserable disappointing time in his life, he might have settled for defeat, but God in the midst of despair and uncertainty, turned the dark gloomy night into a bright morning full of victory.
Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man. Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies. (Psalms 60:11-12)
You must always learn to seek your support from God who is the source of all thing good, you should not be tempted into going to men to render you help, the result is always disappointing, you will come back humiliated and regretting, always learn to trust God in every situation of your life no matter how hard and tough the going may be, always trust God, He will give you a safe landing at the end, at times God uses our trust in him to stretch our faith and fashion our life unto discipline and maturity, our dependency on God shows our love and trust towards him.
Always remember that life is full of storms, this should prepare your heart in facing your future, a captain does not refrain from voyage because of storms, he knows they are, but he has learn to master them, likewise we must learn to master our trials and apply self control, don’t allow your problem to wear your face, that is the life of a defeatist, a champion does not stop fighting because he lost a match, what makes a champion is his ability to learn from his mistakes and turns them into strategies, the failures of life shouldn't stop you from trying again, get up & move on.
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. (2 Corinthians 4:7-10)
One of the reasons why we suffer is so that the life of Jesus Christ might also be manifest in us, those who will live to witness dynamic power of God in their lives must undergo some hard spiritual training, this training prepares you for you glorious future, there has never been a time when a person is promoted to a higher rank or order without undergoing some necessary course, for a Christian to be promoted there ought to be some training to undergo.
The bible made it clear that the Christian life would be a hard one, there is no easy going in the Christian life, the Christian life is full of hard knocks, but God has promised us His grace to sustain us in the time of needs, that is why a person must be prepared before entering into the Christian service, one need to arm himself to the teeth before taking the leap, you should arm yourself with the word of God, don't be like the five foolish virgins who went to the wedding without taking extra oil, we all know the sad end when their lamps ran out of oil, they missed the wedding.
Don't forget that God takes care of you in a special way, the word of God is so full of God's caring promises, these promises should be your soul's anchor, we believe in God's promises because they are certain and proved.
But as God is true, our word toward you was not yea and nay. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea. For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. (2 Corinthians 1:18-22)
God will forever be faithful to His promises, He does not fail, this should give us the more reason & courage to face the future without fear or doubt, no matter how gloomy the days may seem God will surely make it look brighter, remember the old good days when God walked the earth in the person of Jesus Christ, He demonstrated how wonderful God loves us, how he thinks of us, how he is ready to answer to our needs, that Jesus is still doing the same today, nothing has changed, as he answered the people of yesterday, so he is actively answering his people today, from every nation.
Look at Abraham, he was seventy-five years old when God called him out of his native homeland and promised to make him the father of all nations, Abraham wandered for fifteen years and nothing seemed to happen, to Abraham and Sarah the promise would only come through by doing it man's way, it was at this point in time that Sarah's impatient caused her to push her husband to make a terrible mistake that still plagues the world today, Abraham been also impatient like his wife, heeded the voice of his wife and went into their maid and the result was Ishmael, and from that day onward the stage was prepared for humanity’s nightmare, our impatient can bring a deadly pain to our future generations, some of the things we are fighting off were as a result of the terrible mistakes of our parents.
God being whom He is never deterred in fulfilling His promises to Abraham through making Sarah to conceive at the old age of ninety, though Abraham pleaded before God that Ishmael should walk before Him, God been Omniscient blatantly turned Abraham’s request down, He said to Him, Isaac will be the one to walk before me, this promise was made even before Isaac was born, you should know that nothing changes the mind of God concerning you.
What He said concerning your life from origin is going to stand, no man can do anything about it, your destiny is unchangeable, you are what God said you are, you should know that God's calling on your life is without repentance.
In time of trouble, remember that God's name is a strong tower for his people, he has promised never to abandon them in their troubles, we can see such cases in the bible where God wrought an indelible and unspeakable deliverance over the life of individuals who trusted him in the time of nothing, we read about the story of Joseph, Moses, Caleb, Joshua, Gideon, Samson, Jephtah, Deborah, David, Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, Esther, Daniel, Shedrach, Meshach & Abednego, the list can go on and on, but we saw how these people trusted God in the most despairing time of their lives and we saw how God turned out the evil intended against them for their good, he is able to the same today.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. (Psalms 46:1-3)
The following commentaries will help shade some light on this portion of the scripture:
God is our refuge - It begins abruptly, but nobly; ye may trust in whom and in what ye please: but God (Elohim) is our refuge and strength. A very present help - A help found to be very powerful and effectual in straits and difficulties. (Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible)
In all manner of troubles God shows his speedy mercy and power in defending his. (1599 Geneva Bible Translation Notes)
Psalms 46:1 God is our refuge and strength,.... That is, Christ, who is God as well as man, is the "refuge" for souls to fly unto for safety; as for sensible sinners, in a view of danger, wrath, and misery, so for saints, in every time of distress; typified by the cities of refuge, under the legal dispensation; See Gill on Psalms 9:9; and he it is from whom they have all their spiritual strength, and every renewal and supply of it, to exercise grace, perform duties, withstand enemies, bear the cross patiently, show a fortitude of mind under the sorest distresses, and hold on and out unto the end: in short, he is the strength of their hearts, under the greatest trials, of their lives, amidst the greatest dangers; and of their salvation, notwithstanding all their enemies;
a very present help in trouble; whether inward or outward, of soul or body; the Lord helps his people under it to bear it, and he helps them out of it in the most proper and seasonable time: they are poor helpless creatures in themselves; nor can any other help them but the Lord, who made heaven and earth; and he helps presently, speedily, and effectually: in the Hebrew text it is, "he is found an exceeding help in trouble" (t); in all kind of trouble that the saints come into, the Lord has been found, by experience, to be an exceeding great helper of them; moreover, he is easily and always to be come at, and found by them for their help. (John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible)
We need not go farther to see that with God we can valiantly face the future and conquer it without much qualms.
Are you discouraged, frightened by what you see, disheartened by what you hear, remember that a champion is not afraid of loosing, those who are afraid to face the future will never make the future, remember the wilderness story, that generation by fear defeated and overthrew themselves in the wilderness, doubt is a disease, unbelief a cancer, don't go in for it-be ware.
Evangelist. Ilona Henry Afamefuna
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