Every so often, the days can be so gloomy, life can be tough, and you only see the road getting narrower and narrower. Situations might be continually changing around you, but not for the better. You wake up every day to face huge battles. Such battles are beyond your comprehension. It may include one or multiple of these:
1. A protracted illness
2. Financial and economic hardships
3. Loss of job or career, or can’t find employment
4. Going through a bitter divorce or in a hard marriage
5. Time to marry – you’ve been craving for Mr./Miss Right – but no sign
6. Death in the family – loss of a child as a parent or loss of a spouse
The struggles seem to be protracted for far too long, and they still linger with no end in sight. So you ask yourself and ask God, Oh Lord, what is going on in my life?
While any one of the examples above is so concerning, there’s not one that can equal the death of a family member so close, a spouse or child. “The death and loss of a child are frequently called the ultimate tragedy, and nothing can be more devastating.” Without faith and hope in God, stages of grief, and other issues, “make parental and spouse bereavement particularly difficult to resolve.”
Take Stock around you, and hold firm to your Faith and do not be separated from the love of God.
Hold on and don’t give up – for the Lord is with you. Your faith and hope in the Lord is being put to the test. Psalm 120:1: “In my distress I cried to the Lord, and He heard me.”
As it is written in Romans 6:36-39 – “For your sake we face death all day long;
We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present, nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Always keep in mind that in the center of all these, you still have so much to be thankful for. Take a look around you – outside of the box you are in now and take stock to see God’s unfailing love for you. For this reason, and even in the midst of it all, we still have so much to be grateful for in this life.
We Must Be Praiseworthy
We must also note that communication with God through prayer shouldn’t be only about requesting what we want; we must be thankful to the Lord for all the things we are praying for, as if he has already given them to us. These prayers must be backed by genuine faith that we have already been answered.
From the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus encouraged us in Matthew 7:7 that with persistent prayer, you should: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
Jesus encourages us to have faith that we will receive what we ask for. When we pray, we must trust that God will answer us. Without that trust, it’s meaningless to pray for something you are not sure of receiving. You may find this odd. However, God expects us to do it. This is what is called Faith and Hope in God.
God is Always Trustworthy. Bring Your Needs to Him (Sorrow, Happiness)
God is infinitely more trustworthy than any human. God is dependable and has never lied. Correspondingly, the Lord God expects you to have faith in Him and expect the result. Whatever peril you are facing, don’t give up; you can pray like David when his own inner circle stood against him. He was straight to the point and strong in his prayers. You can always trust in the Lord God to save you.
The Lord God is Always Our Refuge. Lord God, you are my refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. I will not fear when “earthquakes” come and the “mountains” crumble into the sea. The Lord of Heaven’s Armies are here with me. You are my fortress. I will be still, and know that You are God.
When you find yourself that you’re in despair and feel that God is too far away from you in such a troubling situation or trials, let the words of Psalm 46 resonate in your heart. “Hold fast to the truths that God is your refuge, your strength, and present help.”
You Always Have an Ally
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)
Trust in the Lord, have Faith and believe what you hope for.
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