Your Not Crazy, Just Confident

Today’s Bible readings are Exodus 37:1-38:31, Matthew 28:1-20, Psalm 34:11-22, & Proverbs 9:9-10

 

Psalm 34:18-20

¹⁸ The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. ¹⁹ The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time. ²⁰ For the Lord protects the bones of the righteous; not one of them is broken!

I remember many times in my life when I felt alone. When I was in prison there were many days when I felt forgotten & abandoned. There have been many times since then that I have felt like God was distance form me. Yet I know that is NEVER the truth.

Many times when we go through trials we can begin to think that God is punishing us for something we have done. It is also easy to think or feel that God has abandoned us. There may even be times when thoughts come that suggest that God doesn’t care. THAT IS NOT TRUE!

Trials can do 1 of 2 things. They can break your faith of make your faith. It all depends on what you chose to meditate on in the midst of them.

James 1:2-4

² Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. ³ For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. ⁴ So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

God is not trying to destroy you. He loves you too much for that. God is not trying to break you. He has too much invested in you for that. God’s desire is to perfect you! That is why He is always there in the midst of every trial. He is waiting for you to reach out to Him & be strengthened by Him. This is when we learn TRUST.

I want to clarify; God is not the author of every trial that we face. Many times they are the result of our own poor choices. Sometimes the trials we face are the result of the enemy that is trying to steal, kill, & destroy in our lives. But the answer to the trial & the hope we have in the trial is always the same—JESUS!!!

I love what the David wrote in this Psalm that we read today.

Psalm 34:19

¹⁹ The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.

There is no doubt that your faith is going to be tried. There is surely days when troubles come, BUT IN THE MIDST OF THEM ALL, OUR LORD WILL RESCUE US EVERY TIME!!! That is His promise to you. Now, I am certain that God doesn’t create problems for us just so He can rescue us. That is absurd. He is not the one creating the problem. He is the One delivering us from the problem.

I want you to change the things that you say when you are going through difficulties. Rather than sitting around talking & acting as if there is no hope, I want you to start rejoice for the deliverance that is on its way. This will put a great excitement in you. It is going to be awesome to watch God work. Let this charge your faith & your spirit as you endure like a good soldier & fight the good fight of faith. Your deliverance is closer now than ever before so just lift your eyes & hands & begin to praise Him.

This may sound crazy but it is not.  He has said He will rescue you every time. So thank Him in advance. That is what faith does. You don't need to see it to know it is true. But once you start acting as though it is true everything changes. Your not crazy, just confident that He will do it again!

 

Pastor Richard Schlotter