DON’T GIVE UP!

 GOD COULD STOP YOUR TRIAL RIGHT NOW, BUT HE KNOWS WHAT IS BEST!

When we are being mistreated in some way,

we tend to ask ourselves these kinds of questions:

Where is God? Does He really care?

 Am I not important enough for Him to get involved?

Are those who are being evil going to get away with it?

READ PSALM 18

Psalm 18:7-12

7 Then the earth reeled and rocked;

the foundations also of the mountains trembled

and quaked, because he was angry.

8 Smoke went up from his nostrils,

and devouring fire from his mouth;

glowing coals flamed forth from him.

9 He bowed the heavens and came down;

thick darkness was under his feet.

10 He rode on a cherub and flew;

he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.

11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him,

thick clouds dark with water.

12 Out of the brightness before him

hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.

As I said in our last meditation on this Psalm, the first six verses challenged me to review not only the reality God’s care for us, but also how I actually act and react, while enduring a trial.

It can be very discouraging to have the impression that wrongdoers are getting away with their misbehavior.

But the challenge and length of a trial should not keep us from going through it with humble faith.

Romans 2:2-5

We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things.  Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.

God is watching, and on the day of His wrath, God will reveal His judgement against every impenitent sinner. We know that we have been spared God’s holy justice only because of His grace and mercy in Christ’s substitutionary atonement for our own sins. We should remember that God is in complete control and His righteous justice will be accomplished at the right time.

God’s patience is certainly not a sign of weakness; in due time He will manifest His power. As He restrains His wrath, He is showing grace to sinners, and progressively sanctifying those who are redeemed.

Psalm 18:13-15

13 The Lord also thundered in the heavens,

and the Most High uttered his voice,

hailstones and coals of fire.

14 And he sent out his arrows and scattered them;

he flashed forth lightnings and grouted them.

15 Then the channels of the sea were seen,

and the foundations of the world were laid bare

at your rebuke, O Lord,

at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

At God’s command, every trial could end. But as much as we seek God’s immediate intervention, we should never lose sight of His infinite wisdom. He is in total control, He is utterly trustworthy, and He has perfect purposes for every situation.

We will look at the deliverance and care of God in our next group of verses, but as we reflect today, we need to be reminded of the privilege we have in being taken care of by our faithful and loving God at all times, The easy ones and those that seem unbearable.

We certainly cannot lose sight of the fact that, if God had dealt with us according to our deeds, we would not be alive to seek deliverance! God has shown us mercy and grace. Those people who seem to get away with their evil behavior might seem to be enjoying an easy life, but they cannot understand what it means to enjoy the grace of God.

The Word of God often calls us to remember the grace we have received.

Ephesians 2:1-7
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

We are so blessed! Why would we ever envy those who do not know the grace of God? Would we ever trade the eternal life of grace we have received, for a moment of comfort or the disappearance of our trials? Especially in difficult times, we know that God is watching over us.

Galatians 6:7-9
Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

Are you tired? Do you feel like giving up? Have you come at the end of your strength? Are you starting to feel that it is not worth the struggle?

David did not give up! Jesus, even though He knew the excruciating pain He would face on the cross, willingly submitted to the Father. Why did He do that? So you could have the grace to face what you are facing today! May the Lord help us to remember these truths every day of our lives!