There are two passages assigned for today!
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 43
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Saviour and my God! [Psalms 43:5]
Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. [John 14:1]
Easier said than done.
When things get hard or confusing or uncertain, at those times when you feel afraid, discouraged, overwhelmed, pressured, its hard to shift your focus away from the problems.
Why am I discouraged? Let me tell you why I am discouraged!!!!
To trust Him, to put our hope in Him, is to choose to dwell on God and His goodness, and not on our problems.
It takes effort, determination, willpower.
I will put my hope in God, I will praise Him again!
Easier said than done, but still it needs to be done.
This is not something that we suddenly discover in the heat of the moment; it is not something that we can quickly or easily do when the battle starts.
We need to start before the battle begins.
Jesus is preparing His disciples for what is to come, but it has not started yet.
He is urging them to make a decision NOW not to let their hearts be troubled later.
He is telling them to intentionally direct their focus on God and Himself, to trust in them.
As every day begins, we need to prepare ourselves with this attitude: today again I choose to trust in God and in Jesus, today again I will put my hope in God, I will praise Him again!
This is not just ‘positive thinking’, it is choosing what we will give our primary attention to.
Yes, my problems are real, but so is my God, and He is bigger than them all!
Yes, my life is falling apart, but God will hold me together through this!
Yes, everything seems to be going backwards, but God will take me where I need to God!
Do I always believe it when I say it? No, to be honest I do not.
But do I believe the opposite statements? No, not really.
At this point its not so much about what I am believing, but what I am feeling.
As long as I focus on the problems, I am feeding my negative feelings; but when I dwell on God and good and hope, then I am feeding my positive feelings.
I will not allow my heart to be troubled; I will fight those negative feelings, I will declare with desperate determination that no matter what happens, NOTHING CAN SEPARATE ME FROM THE LOVE OF GOD!
PRAYER:
Lord, easier said than done. But then let me at least start by saying it: I will trust in You, I will hope in You, I will praise You again, my God and my Saviour!
This God is our God for ever and ever;
He will be our guide even to the end.
This needs to be my starting point each day. I am His and He is mine. I am secure in Him. He is God who is Almighty.
And yet, when the going gets tough, where do I flee? Where do I look for help? At the start of the day, I am ‘walking’ in His presence. During the day, I am still walking in His presence but I do not realize it nor think about it as I did in the morning hours. I must think upon these things. At all times God must be first. And I need to tell of the firstness to then next generation. I need to share God’s goodness, faithfulness, powerfulness, acts of might, His grace in my life to those around me.
Help me Lord in Your Way. Guard my footsteps in all I do and say. Renew my heart each day so that I am Your servant true.
Rejoice in the Lord always
And again I say Rejoice
Rejoice in the Lord always
And again I say Rejoice
Rejoice, Rejoice
And again I say Rejoice
Rejoice, Rejoice
And again I say Rejoice