Again this week we feature material from The Promises of God ©1998 by Discipleship Publications International. This week’s post is an excerpt from a chapter by my good friend, Steve Brown, who now makes his home in McAllen, Texas.
A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all…
A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all…
Psalm
34:19
Like Tanya Tucker used to sing,
“It’s never any trouble for me to find some kind of trouble.”
I think of Victor, a
twenty-two-year-old college student who recently died from cancer. He was a
disciple. He loved God. He was fruitful—reaching out and converting his
neighbor. And all the while cancer ravaged his body. Then there is Karen, who
became a disciple a few years ago. Like many, she hoped that her husband, who
was actually reached out to before
she was, would also become a Christian. He didn’t. Instead, their marriage
ended in divorce and she has been a single mom with four small children to
raise alone. Then there is my own case: Forty years old with four kids and
working in the ministry. Without warning, I went from being an active, athletic
man (well, that’s what my wife says) to being crippled and paralyzed on one
side with multiple sclerosis—no more road races with my sons, or one-on-one
basketball, or any other sports with them.
The promise of God is to deliver
us from our troubles. David said, “...but the Lord delivers him from them all.”
Wait a minute!! Victor died. Karen is divorced and, last time I checked, I am
still paralyzed. What kind of deliverance is that?
Jesus said that we would have
trouble in this world. It is not about taking away all the trouble in this
world. That will never happen. It is about overcoming: Overcoming the world.
Overcoming the trouble. It is about victory—about impact.
Victor’s story is over, and he
lived up to his name. The Lord delivered him. Mine and Karen’s and yours go
on—day after day. Is it easy? No. Do I struggle with understanding what God is
doing? Yes, and more some days than others. It is a battle we are in, a
spiritual battle. It is a struggle to continue to trust God to make sense of it
all. It is a battle to turn to him in the trouble …and to believe that he will
best use it for me and for others, if I will trust him.
This is amazing. We've recently gone through some major challenges. I lost my mom to cancer and our house was robbed. Sometimes it's hard not to think what's next God or know that God is working but not wanting to embrace the challenges. Wanting them to go away. This lesson helps me with perspective.
ReplyDeleteIt is so hard to keep trusting when God seems to have ganged up with the devil to hammer you!But I guess this is the time genuine faith is revealed and sharpened in us.
ReplyDeleteI have harboured attitudes toward God sevserally over the last several weeks.Forgive me,Lord.
Keeping it real Tom. I was starting to feel down and overwhelmed by life and my very near move in with my Dad who is battling ALS. Then I went to an amazing conference last week in Orlando titled Compelling Grace. Last weekend helped me to more clearly see Gods amazing love and grace for me and you. Hang in there peeps, yes,there are troubles in this fallen world. Take heart though in Jesus. Be an over comer!
ReplyDelete