Finding strength in times of crisis
Put your hope in the Lord. Travel steadily along his path...The Lord rescues the godly; he is their fortress in times of trouble. The Lord helps them, rescuing them from the wicked. He saves them, and they find shelter in him. Psalms 37:34, 39-40
One of the signs of distress is the inability to find rest. The Psalmist expressed his worship to God even in the midst of trouble. In one occasion, the Psalmist said, “I can lie down and go to sleep and I can wake up again because the Lord gives me strength” (Psalm 3:5). When dealing with anguish because of stress your mind will not stop. You just cannot turn it off and you find yourself tossing and turning. You can’t help but keep on thinking about it. You grieve because of the situation. You complain and you get angry. In the midst of this God says, “Trust in My strength.” He says, “Find your shelter in Me.” Stop trying to be God by continually handling the problem on your own. Worrying is assuming responsibility that God never intended for you to have. God is waiting to strengthen you in times of trouble. Where do you get the power to handle the crises of life? There’s only one place – to find shelter in Him. It is focusing on God. That is what worship does; plugging into the power source. God's power can flow into your life as you worship Him. Psalms 63:2, 5 “Here I am in the place of worship, eyes open... drinking in Your strength and glory.” Wouldn’t you want to experience the peace that surpasses understanding even in times of crisis? Do not lose heart, keep your eyes on God and realize that God is using your crisis to accomplish greater eternal purpose in your life. “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Cor. 4:17-18).
Blessings,
Noel De Guzman Westside Baptist Church Los Angeles, CA