In times of difficulties, God is there with you
Now, my son, may the Lord be with you and give you success as you follow his directions in building the Temple of the Lord your God. And may the Lord give you wisdom and understanding, that you may obey the Law of the Lord your God as you rule over Israel. For you will be successful if you carefully obey the decrees and regulations that the Lord gave to Israel through Moses. Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or lose heart! 1 Chronicles 22:11-13
From the text, David spoke to his son, Solomon. He was encouraging him to continue to obey God through His word and remain faithful to His commands. These admonitions came when Solomon will assume leadership over Israel and as he will oversee the construction of the temple. David also told Solomon to remain strong in his faith so that he will have the courage to move forward even in the midst of trials and adversities. There were several instances from the Scripture where the admonition to be courageous and strong were mentioned. When Joshua was preparing to lead the Israelites to enter the Promised Land, Moses told him to be courageous and strong. “Then Moses called for Joshua, and as all Israel watched, he said to him, “Be strong and courageous! ... Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you” (Deuteronomy 31:17-18). Then when Moses died, God repeated the admonition to Joshua to be courageous and strong. “Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it... This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:8-9). God may not be calling you to lead multitudes of people but nonetheless, as long as you live your life here on this earth you will be facing difficulties. So the same directions that were given to Solomon and Joshua are given to you. His direction is that you continue to be strong and courageous. Meditate on His word and hold on to His promises that He will always be there with you and will never abandon you. There will be times that it becomes difficult to think that God is faithful when friends and fellow believers had abandoned you. This can also come when you feel that your health is failing and you think that you can no longer achieve the goals you set in your life. In times of difficulties, your belief in God’s faithfulness and presence could be clouded with a feeling of being abandoned by God. During the Babylonian captivity, God used Jeremiah to admonish the Israelites by reminding them of God’s faithfulness. He encouraged them to remember God’s faithfulness and not just rely on their emotions. “The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” (Lamentations 3:22-24) Have faith in Him and in due time, He will demonstrate that He did not forsake you. God is faithful even in times of difficulties!
Blessings,
