Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Every dark cloud has a silver lining

Every dark cloud has a silver lining

 

The waters will not overflow you

This week we visited a young woman who lost her husband in a terrible car accident in which he burnt to ashes; a very heartbreaking situation for a young couple who had just been married. It’s not easy to comfort and encourage someone in that situation but it only takes the grace of God. No one can claim that they understand what she is going through unless they have gone through a similar situation themselves; and besides every situation is unique. Such is the nature of life. Sometimes it brings situations that are not palatable; situations that are overwhelming and heavy. But I shared with her what God says about such situations, ‘When you pass through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you: when thou walk through the fire, you shall not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon you.  For I am the Lord your God’ (Isaiah 43 v 2 &3a). Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you felt like your world is crushing on you; or in a situation where you felt nobody understands you and your situation better than yourself? Or do you feel trapped in your situation and do not know what to do and you feel like there’s or no way out? Or there just seems to be nobody to lean on. Here’s what I retrieved from my archives to encourage you on, what to do when you do not know what to do.

 

  1. Trust God.

If you feel overwhelmed and depressed; if the burden if heavy and you do not know what to do, simply let go and trust God. Do not give up on yourself and do not give up on your situation. Giving up on yourself drops your shield of protection. Even if you don’t understand why it has happened to you just trust God. When the children of Israel found themselves in front of the Red Sea, with the Egyptian armies pursuing them from behind, and to the right and to the left was the wilderness. They found themselves trapped between a rock and a hard place. With nowhere to go for their situation, God said to them, ‘Fear not, stand still and see the deliverance of the Lord which He will show you this day: for the Egyptians you see today you shall see them again no more foreverExodus 14 v13. Don’t panic in your situation, just trust God.

 

  1. Encourage yourself in the Lord

Sometimes friends and the people we normally depend on are not there when we need them the most. Many times, even myself, I have found myself alone and lonely in moments when I most needed the support and encouragement of those that are supposed to be my friends. Sometimes their absence is not necessarily because they do not care about you; but whatever the case might be you must learn to draw encouragement from inner resources. Learn to encourage yourself in the Lord. When David came back to Ziklag with his men, he found that the city had been invaded, burnt down and the women and children taken captive including his own wives. The same men that had been with him (David) turned against him and accused him and planned to stone him to death. The same people he had expected to stand with him in a difficult moment like this turned against him and spoke against him, ‘but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God’ (1 Samuel 30 v 6 b). Even if those that are supposed to be on your side rise up against you and stab you in the back, just learn to encourage yourself in the Lord. Is it easy? No! But even with tears on your cheeks just dig deep within your inner resources and encourage yourself in Him.

 

  1. Do not let go of the Lord

When all the other disciples departed from Jesus because the going was getting tough, Jesus turned to the twelve and said, ‘Will you also go away?’ and Peter answered, ‘To whom shall we go Lord? You have the words of eternal life’ (John 6 v 66 – 68). Whatever situation you find yourself in do not let go of the Lord, even if you have erred, he is willing to understand you and restore you. In Isaiah 1 v 18 He says “come let us reason together,’ and in Hebrews 4 v15 and 16 He assures us that He is a High Priest who is touched by our feelings because He was tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin.

 

  1. Continue to do good and look for opportunities to do good

When you are overwhelmed by situations its easy to feel as if you have come to the end of the road; to feel as if there is no more reason for leaving; to feel as if the curtain is coming down. Don’t let your garment of mourning overshadow your abilities. When you are hard-pressed and everything around you does not make sense, find an opportunity to do good. In a time of famine Isaac did not sit back and mourn together with everybody else and feel pity for himself, but he sowed. ‘Then Isaac sowed in that land and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the Lord blessed him. And he prospered and continued prospering until he became prosperous,’ (Gen 26 v12). Isaac did not wait for the famine to subside before he could sow; he sowed. Don’t wait until your problems are over before you can sow; sow! Don’t let your discouragement or pains pull you down, but seek for opportunities to do good, and give God a chance to lift you up and bless you.

 

When you don’t know what to do with your situation, do something.

 

Calvary love

 

P.M.

 

Calvary love 

Peter Mbada

 

Support the work; acquire your copy of the book! 

For your copy of  'Destined to Succeed: unstoppable and unlimitable'.  Check any online bookstores or contact me directly!

 

Check other articles on: www.pmbada.org  and www.pmbada.blogspot.com

 

 

 

 

No comments:

Post a Comment