By Chris WittsMonday 7 Oct 2013Morning Devotions with Chris WittsFaithReading Time: 0 minutes
Transcript:
Have you ever found yourself in a hopeless situation which only seems to get worse? I think quite a few do. Life becomes a nightmare,and we don’t know what to do. We speak to God saying,God,why doesn’t the disease go away? Why does my career seem to be over? Why am I losing my house? Why can’t I get married? Can I still trust God if my hopeless situation doesn’t change? You’re not the only one who has struggled with this …
I guess what I’m asking this morning is ..How do people deal with difficult events that change their lives? The death of a loved one,loss of a job,serious illness,terrorist attacks and other traumatic events: these are all examples of very challenging life experiences. Many people react to such circumstances with a flood of strong emotions and a sense of uncertainty. And of course it’s quite scary. These things can happen to anyone who is in the wrong place at the wrong time .. but it’s amazing how,generally speaking,people cope with awful or stressful situations. The word used is RESILIENCE ..some of us are good at this,others not so good …it basically means bouncing back from difficult experiences. Sometimes we get life out of perspective,out of proportion ..
Alexander Pope,the poet,said “hope springs eternal in the human breast”. But does it? A young married woman suddenly faces the prospect of life without her partner after he walks out of the marriage after 3 years ..leaving a mountain of debt,.. or the man languishing in prison leaving his family and friends,feeling guilty .. What about the situation where a young person goes to their doctor for a routine check up,only to be told,he has 6 months to live. How do you deal with these situations? So where is hope when hope is taken away? Circumstances can crowd in on you in a way you’ve never encountered before,and you don’t see any solutions ..
God’s grace is the secret to help us in hopeless situations …Paul says in Romans 15 that God is a God of hope – if you trust in Christ you have every reason to hope and be hopeful. God knows where you are right now .. God knows the future. You are not the only one that has felt that there is no hope. Even Bible heroes had their times when they wanted to give up. Job,Moses,Jonah,,even Elijah,the powerful prophet in the Old Testament. And then there was Jeremiah,called the weeping Prophet. We read in Jeremiah 15:18 “Why then does my suffering continue? Why is my wound so incurable? Your help seems as uncertain as a seasonal brook,like a spring that has gone dry.”(NLT)
Ever felt like this? The prophet Jeremiah did. “God,can I trust you?” He was called to minister in a terrible time in Israel’s history .
Let me quote Psalm 24:18 “the Lord is close to the brokenhearted: he rescues those whose spirits are crushed”. The Psalmist was trying to encourage the Israelites =Psalm 130:7 ” Israel,trust the Lord . He is always merciful,and he has the power to save you.” God’s promises are just not meant for OT times – they are relevant for today as well.
Try and co-operate with God,for He is your Rock. I feel there are 4 words that we can think about humility,surrender,acceptance,and obedience. Humility acknowledges that God is in charge of life – not us.