“He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.” Psalm 18:16,17

Life is unpredictable. We never know what will come: an easy, comfortable day, or one with an accident, sickness or disturbing news.

Our culture teaches us that comfort is of the highest value, and that anything that disturbs our comfort is bad.

Not so in Scripture. What is truly bad is what harms us spiritually, not what makes us uncomfortable.

What disturbs our comfort may be the most helpful thing in our lives for growth and deepening.

The question each of us must face is: what is my theology of suffering? The following is an example of this.

It was written by a 16-year-old girl, who grew up in the Middle East, struggling to adjust to a new culture (America),

where she experienced loneliness and Christian acquaintances who aren’t interested in spiritual things.

She wrote, “I think that God allows difficulty and suffering into our lives to teach us about Him and strengthen our faith and our trust in Him.

If we never faced suffering, it would be hard for us to see the depth of His love and appreciate how beautiful He truly is—just like we don’t truly appreciate the light until we see darkness.

“It also teaches us that contentment isn’t based on circumstances. If I were happy and cheerful all the time because nothing ever went wrong for me,

I would never learn the true meaning of being thankful. Nor would my worship and praise be as sincere.

“Going through trials helps us, even forces us to grow. Through my loneliness, I have learned more and more what a wonderful friend I have in Jesus.”

Lots of wisdom from such a young girl. What about us? What’s your philosophy  and theology  of suffering?

Picture: no runner can excel without painful practice:

“I will run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.” Psalm 119:32

My heart has felt distant from you, Lord. Being out of my schedule can bring a sense of disorientation.

However, my stability, peace and sense of rightness should actually come from you alone, O God, not from the structure of my life.

As your Word says, “My God is my rock in whom I take refuge. He is my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold” (Ps. 18:2b).

So, whether I am firmly in a comfortable schedule, or my life is chaotic, you are there, Lord God. You are

solid,

sure,

always loving,

kind and firm.

You are my Light,

my Love,

my Life.

This unsettledness is actually a positively powerful thing,

surfacing my wrong dependence on

accomplishment,

achievement,

action,

maintaining control

and being good in my own strength.

Being unsettled also points me to repentance and setting my eyes and heart on you, Lord Jesus.

Prayer: “I praise you, Lord Jesus, for what your power and grace will do in and through me today, in spite of how I may feel and fail.

May all be for your glory. Help me to focus on you, draw my stability, wisdom, strength and understanding from you, Lord Jesus.

May I honor you in all I do today. Amen.”

Picture: Follow the golden light of God’s Word.

Read this and :Nurture your first love for Jesus!”

“The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.” Psalm 118:14

You, O Jesus,, are the only One worthy of worship! “Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: ‘The LORD’s right hand has done mighty things!’” (Ps 118:15).

You are incredibly Great,

completely Sovereign,

compassionately Gracious

and incomprehensibly Glorious.

Your balance of your qualities is marvelous, your perfection is magnificent, your complexity is majestic.

In a word, you are Holy:

you have no imperfection,

no lacks,

no foibles,

no hang ups,

no imbalance,

no over-emphasis,

no under development,

no negatives.

Your individual characteristics fit seamlessly  together, complementing each other, working in absolute harmony:

Your power acts out of love,

your decisions flow from wisdom,

your motives are formed in grace,

your mercy triumphs over judgment,

your wrath works with love,

your glory shines in goodness.

You, Lord Jesus are my shepherd,

perfect,

powerful,

loving,

all knowing,

all seeing,

and totally loving.

I praise you for making me your sheep. Help me to follow you always,

to join you daily in your great plans for the universe!

Picture: Jesus shows His glory on a beautiful autumn evening

“This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”  Psalm 118:24

The above verse is a comprehensive statement, including all kinds of days. It points us to you, Lord,

the Sovereign God in whose hands all days are made, whether they are in our eyes good or bad, restful or extremely challenging.

You in your wisdom allow, create or send events which are going to be used in your great plan.

You allow people to carry out their schemes within certain boundaries, allowing evil people to do evil things, but only within certain limits.

You are able to use their evil to advance your plans and Kingdom (Rev. 9:20).

In the meantime, you continually pour out good on all your creatures, giving us

air to breathe,

food to eat,

friends to share with,

work to do,

eyes to see,

ears to hear,

feet to walk,

hands to use,

skin to protect and feel.

You give meaning, direction, provision and protection.

You give grace and goodness in the midst of trials and challenges, problems and solutions.

You use difficulties to chasten, punish, correct and restore.

You are above all, guiding in all, moving history forward in wisdom and power.

In good ways you shake

the foundations of our thoughts,

the presuppositions of our worldview,

the smugness of our systems,

the security of our material comfort.

Lord, help me to embrace these high-level Truths,

to Trust you when I don’t understand,

to remember that you know all when I don’t.

May you be honored as I trust you through praise in every situation. Amen

Picture: God is creator of the seasons, each special in its own way whether we like it or not.

“The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid” (Ps.118:6).

As we look away to you, Lord God,

fear is defeated,

fretting is finished,

worry is wiped out,

unbelief is undone..

Why? Because

They cannot stand in the light of your

mighty, majestic, magnificent power,

of your gracious, great and good heart,

of your perfect, powerful, positive character,

of your deep, dynamic, dependable Love.

Seeing you more and more clearly through worship, we can say,

“What can man do to me?

The LORD is with me; he is my helper.

I will look in triumph on my enemies” (Ps.118:6b,7).

The certainty of victory in the end,

the knowledge of your present and sure help,

your understanding of the fickleness and feebleness of man—

this knowledge gives us the freedom to trust you in all, to praise in all difficulty and disappointment.

The victory you promise may come after death, but it will come.

“In the day of my trouble I will call upon you, for you WILL answer me”! Psalm 86:7

Let’s call on Him continually!

Picture: our God is a faithful as He is beautiful!