Insightful, Biblical Devotions
“Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; When I fall, I will arise; When I sit in darkness, The Lord will be a light to me” (Mic. 7:8).
If we don’t put our faith in God during our time of crisis, we will indeed continue to be in tribulation – but brought on by our own doing, not by the devil. There are reasons to be hopeful in times of crisis. “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. 18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart and saves such as have a contrite spirit. 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all” (Ps. 34:17-19).
The righteous is the most favoured person in the world – under God’s promises. “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry. The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth” (Ps. 34:15-16). Evil doers can’t overcome us with their devices. We have overcome the world because of our faith in Christ. We are the light of the world. We shine in season or out of season, in crisis or out of crisis.
We can shine depending on how we respond to troubles. Firstly, we should make it our top priority not to let our heart be troubled (see John 14:1). Secondly, let your request be made onto the Lord (see Psalm 50:15; Phil. 4:6). The benefits of doing these are enormous. For example: “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7). Troubles provide opportunities and benefits. Our duty should not be complaining, but to protect the plan of God for our lives. Trials will increase, develop, deepen, and strengthen your faith. The trial of our faith is useful, not only because it strengthens it but because it leads to a discovery of our faith to ourselves. “Before I was afflicted, I went astray,” said David, “but now have I kept Your Word.” He found that his faith was really there by his keeping God’s Word in the time of his affliction. Besides, when faith is tried, it brings God glory. How it honours God when a man can praise God in times of trouble, just like Paul and Silas who praised God at midnight in prison (see Acts 16:25-26).
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