True to my word, I am jumping around topics willy-nilly, at random, losing the ends of threads I intended to pick up, and probably driving crazy those readers who prefer a neater approach to the issues of life! Sometimes I drive myself to distraction and that is never terribly productive or satisfying. My life has not traveled along a very straight line; some detours have been of my choosing, others have more or less been foisted upon me by factors over which I had little, if any, control. Nevertheless, I have found one constant wherever and however life has happened—God and His faithfulness have been there.
A few times, God has rescued me from trouble by miraculous intervention—a clearly recognizable, definable deliverance; many times, I have found myself safely washed up on a beach after a storm without any idea how I got there. A few times, I have felt the tangible presence of God with me in the midst of a fierce battle; many times, I have felt helplessly alone with no discernable sign of relief or reinforcement on the horizon. A few times, I have felt a surge of strength that reinvigorated me to press on; many times, I have felt every ounce of my weakness, and could merely wait and hope to be propped up, before the threat of being mopped up and wrung out materialized. A few times, I have faced conflict feeling well-armed and equipped; many times, I have felt thrown into the fray naked and unprepared. A few times, I have been able to fix my eyes on the standard of victory; many times, I have been too mired in defeat to see anything but the darkness around me.
“Life is not fun and games” is an understatement! Trouble has no trouble tracking us down.We can run, but we can’t hide from it. As believers, we don’t need to do either. God always provides a way of escape or a place of refuge. In the Old Testament, for chapters at a time, David was on the run from Saul. In the New Testament, Paul was more often a creature in conflict, than a creature of comfort. What was trouble like for them? First, it was real; by their own accounts, trouble was ever-present. Secondly, they were not granted immunity from feeling the effect of trouble. Thirdly, they were not supplied with a “get out of trouble free” card. Where did these facts leave them? The answer is… in trouble.
Paul records in 2 Cor. 7:5, “For indeed, when we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were troubled on every side, Outside were conflicts, inside were fears.” Can any of us identify with that? Reading through the Psalms, we get a very vivid recounting of David finding himself facing a host of troubles. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…” Ps. 23:4 “In the multitude of anxieties within me…” Ps. 94:7
Trouble was no less trouble to David and Paul than it remains to us in our lives.
The details surrounding trouble may differ, but the fact of its existence does not.
Where is the good news? The good news has not changed in substance or location since the times of David or Paul. We have the same recourse and the same access to help as they did. David and Paul staked their lives on God’s promises, and God’s promises did not fail them. We can believe the trouble or believe God. The trouble is real, but it is not true—it does not have the final word; it is only a temporary reality. The first step out of trouble, is the same as the last step, and every step in between: turn to God; trust Him.
“Do not fear…let not your hands be weak. The Lord your God is in your midst. The Mighty One will save…He will quiet you with His love.” Zephaniah 3:17 Amen!
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