5 TRUTHS TO REMEMBER WHEN GOING THROUGH TRIALS

AS TRIALS COME, GUARD YOUR THOUGHTS!

Psalm 31:14-19

14 But I trust in you, O Lord;

I say, “You are my God.”

15 My times are in your hand;

rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!

16 Make your face shine on your servant;

save me in your steadfast love!

17 O Lord, let me not be put to shame,

for I call upon you;

let the wicked be put to shame;

let them go silently to Sheol.

18 Let the lying lips be mute,

which speak insolently against the righteous

in pride and contempt.

19 Oh, how abundant is your goodness,

which you have stored up for those who fear you

and worked for those who take refuge in you,

in the sight of the children of mankind! 

As David continues this description of his journey of trust in the midst of difficulties, we see the truths that framed his trust in his Lord.

David had resolved to trust in his Lord. David had a personal relationship with his God. David knew that God was in sovereign control of every day of his life. He knew that he was perfectly loved by the Lord. He knew that His Lord was abundantly good. He knew that it was wise to take refuge in the Lord.

What an amazing list! As we stop and think about our God, these are the assurances that should enter our minds when we are going through difficult circumstances and we are feeling the weight of the world’s evil.  We should always concentrate on the character of God and His relationship with us, when our fears want to crowd out an eternal perspective.

1 - God is our God!

John 17:9-17

I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 

John 17:20-21

 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 

Jesus prayed for our protection, and God always answers the prayers of His beloved Son. Our protection comes through the Word of God. We must allow it to saturate our mind.

2 - God is sovereign over our lives

Romans 8:28-30

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

This scripture assures us that God is in total control of our lives. His calling is sure and our end is secure. We will be glorified!

3 - God loves us perfectly

John 10:7-11

So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

 We should never lose sight of the fact that our God has given His life for us so that we could have abundant life. We are loved by the Good Shepherd!

4 - The Lord is always good to us

Psalm 100:5

For the Lord is good;

his steadfast love endures forever,

and his faithfulness to all generations. 

God has always been good and He will never cease to be good. There is no evil in God; He always has our good in mind!

5 - Our God is worthy to be trusted

 John 14:1-3

 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.  In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 

God is preparing a place for us, He has our eternal destiny in His hands!

Dear friends, as David endured the difficulties of his life, his thoughts were on what he knew to be true about God. And there, he put his trust and rest. May we do the same, as we deal with real problems and real enemies every day!