Life has its ups and downs and sometimes we experience tough times. Difficult times can be caused by poor choices, relationship problems, health complications, job issues, or any number of things. How can we be encouraged in difficult times?
Where do we turn and what do we do when issues of the day seem threaten to overwhelm us? We turn to the Lord. The David shares how the Lord saved him from a difficult time. Psalm 40:2He (the Lord) lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. [1]
If you feel like you are in pit, remember the Lord hears your prayer! When we are in the pit of despair and in the mud and mire, we can’t lift ourselves out of the hole we are in, but the Lord can.
The People in the Days of Isaiah Felt Overwhelmed by Darkness
Isaiah 9:1 Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory. [2]
The ongoing sin of the people of Israel had resulted in destruction. Their nation was conquered by the Assyrians. Place yourself in their sandals as you see death and devastation all around you. Crops and building were burned. All able-bodied people were forced to march away as slaves. To make sure they did not escape, they tied them together with fishhooks in their faces. In their despair the Lord was at work, and He had not forgotten about them.
Despair and Darkness Will Not go on Forever
Eve as believers we may be experience difficult times, but the Lord has not forgotten us. Paul, a great evangelist for the Lord gives us insight. 2 Cor. 4:9We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.[3] 2 Cor. 6:10Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything. [4]
When we look up to the Lord something begins to change in our hearts. Our situation may not change but we remember the Lord is with us and loves us. We may be suffering, but our Savior Jesus knows what it is like to suffer. Isaiah 53:6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all. [5] Take note during your difficulty and look to the Lord your Savior.
To be encouraged in difficult times, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/messiah-foretold
[1-5] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.