Daily Devotional

-November 15, 2020-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

-When We Face Trouble And Anguish-

“Trouble and anguish have overtaken me, yet Your commandments are my delights.”

(Psalm 119:43).

When of the greatest tests a believer goes through is how we handle trouble and anguish. Do we fall apart, blame God or others, or do we trust God and cling to Him ever tighter? In today’s text the psalmist finds God’s Word to be his delights.

Both believers and unbelievers face trouble and anguish at times in life, the difference is we have the Lord, unbelievers do not. Job was not the first person to face a series of trials in the Bible, but he was the first to lose so much, so suddenly with such devastating pain. Joseph, for example suffered many trials over a longer period of time. Both of these men clung to the Lord and their end was better than their beginning.

One of our biggest obstacles we must overcome is self pity. We ask, “Why me, Lord?” We know the Lord loves us, but we let the circumstances squeeze us and affect our walk and service for the Lord.

The psalmist wrote, “Trouble and anguish have overtaken me…” Another rendering can be, “Trouble and anguish have found me.” One moment everything is going along well, things are normal, we may even have regular sized trials going on; then all of the sudden, a huge catastrophe happens either to us or someone close to us. It hits us like a ton of bricks. It seems like more than we can handle. Where do we turn? What do we do?

We know we need to turn to the Lord in prayer and to His Word for help and comfort. Thank God when we do but still the pain is there, the loss is there. This is what Mary and Martha went through when their only brother Lazarus fell ill and died. They both told Jesus that if He had been there their brother would not have died. But the Lord is with us and He sometimes allows pain, loss, and even death to find us.

A believer is not immune to tragedy in this life. The word tragedy is defined as, “An event causing great suffering, destruction, and distress, such as a serious accident, crime, or natural catastrophe.” This Coronavirus is increasing again and many people are getting it and dying from it. Other trials and troubles do not stop during the pandemic. We must cling to the Lord closer and tighter and not give up. There are so many great and precious promises in the Bible to see us through.

May we look to the Lord even in the midst of darkness, pain, and loss. He will see us through as we pray and read His Word. There is no magic pill or formula, and no vaccine for trouble and anguish in life; but God’s grace is sufficient for us. Trials come to pass, and we must learn the lessons that the Lord has for us.

Have a blessed day no matter what comes, Jesus is with us. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean