Dear friend, when you face some great difficulty and feel locked in a prison of despair, let this remind you of the power of prayer. Andrew Murray said:”Beware in your prayer, above everything, of limiting God, not only by unbelief, but by fancying that you know what He can do. Expect unexpected things, above all that we ask or think. Each time you intercede, be quiet first and worship God in His glory. Think of what He can do, of how He delights to hear Christ, of your place in Christ; and expect great things.”

“—Christ is all,and in all.” Colossians 3:11

Christianity is all centered in a person! Conversion is not a mere change of human opinion; it is the devotion of the heart to a person. A converted man is not a man who just changes his views concerning certain facts, or theories, or doctrines–but he is a man whose heart has become devoted to a living Christ. All your religion, if it is worth anything–will be centered in a living personal Jesus.
Your doctrines will all come from Him;
your motives will be found in Him
your joys will be found in Him;
your acceptance will be found in Him;
your completeness will be found in Him!
— Archibald Brown, 1884

“And ye are complete in Him—” Colossians 2:10

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.–Isaiah 26:3

We all long for trouble free lives, but the dream never comes true. Life sometimes feels more like a nightmare. Trusting God doesn’t exempt us from pain and problems, but it does equip us to deal with them. We live in frail bodies of flesh and bone so we are going to suffer. We live in a fallen world, so we will meet with opposition and injustice. We face a strong and cunning adversary, so we will have adversities. That’s life on planet earth.

So– trust in God won’t exempt us from troubles and trials
   — believing God won’t remove all the burdens
   — confidence in God won’t prevent conflicts
   — hope in God won’t keep us from getting hurt
   — relying upon God won’t bring relief

But– trust in God will lead to triumph
     — believing God will bring blessings
     — confidence in God will give courage and comfort
     — hope in God will provide help
     — reliance upon God will give us rest

If our “mind is stayed on” Him! That is the condition and those are the consequences — regardless of circumstances. The choice is yours.

“Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.”–Psalm 37:1–3

 

Commenting on this verse, Dr. Paul Chappell asked this question,”Have you ever found yourself worrying?”. Then he made the following observation:” We all do. We worry about how the bills will be paid, how a project at work will get done, if we are training our children correctly, how we will know God’s will, how to handle a certain situation, and so on. We worry about things as small as what someone will think about our outfit to things as large as how we will make the next house payment. It’s in our human nature to worry.

 

Recent studies show that on average people worry about:

            40%—things that will never happen

            30%—things about the past that can’t be changed

            12%—things about the criticisms of others, mostly untrue

            10%—things about health, which gets worse with stress

              8%—things about real problems that will be faced

 

Many times Christians can begin worrying when they focus on the lives of others. Have you ever wondered why you faced so many trials when it seems as if the unsaved enjoyed their wealth and luxuries? Why were you suffering for serving Christ and others were seemingly blessed?

 

It can be easy to get sidetracked from serving God and focus on others, but God wants us to focus on Him! God clearly explains in Psalm 37 His provisions for the righteous. He says, “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth” (Psalm 37:7–9).

 

It’s as if God is saying, “Don’t worry about what the unsaved do and have. I am still God and am in control of all. They have their reward here on earth, but your everlasting reward is waiting in Heaven! Just focus on me and continue living for me!”

 

Have you ever had times of doubt and worry? Does seeing the prosperity of others sometimes discourage you? Don’t allow Satan to take your eyes off Christ! Yes, others may have more provisions and everything seems to go perfectly for them. But if you are serving Christ faithfully, He promises you a reward far better than anything this earth has to offer. He’s promised to provide for your every need, so there is no need to worry!“

He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength– Isaiah 40:29

It is not hard to find someone who will give support to the powerful, attention to the famous, notice to the remarkable, or recognition to the accomplished. Virtually everyone is willing to jump on the bandwagon of some well-known, talented, or beautiful person.

But God gives encouragement to the faint. He gives strength to the exhausted. He does not join the crowds hurrying after celebrities; He seeks out the broken-hearted and the overlooked and gives them the greatest honor imaginable — His attention and His love.

This is not because God is a cosmic talent-scout, finding the individual diamonds in the many roughs throughout the world. It is to those who truly have no merit, who can stake no claim to His assets, who have no might that He sends reinforcements of strength and provision. It is God’s grace, not our value, that draws Him to hurting, helpless humanity.

While this is humbling—even humiliating—to realize, it is also liberating and invigorating. We can let all our collected claims of good works and inherent worth fall around our feet as we reach out to a God Who only heals the sick, Who only mends the broken, Who only gives strength to the powerless.

How do you see yourself? It doesn’t matter how others might describe you; perhaps they even consider you among the great, the mighty, the successful. But are you broken-hearted and helpless before the Lord? If so, then prepare for a strength infusion from the most High Himself.–“A Good Thing”