Are You Easily Blown Away by Your Circumstances?
“If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.” 2 Chron. 20:9
In the frigid waters around Greenland are countless icebergs, some little and some gigantic. If you observe them carefully, you’ll notice that sometimes the small ice floes move in one direction while their massive counterparts flow in another. The explanation is simple. Surface winds drive the little ones, whereas the huge masses of ice are carried along by deep ocean currents. When we face trials and tragedies, it’s helpful to see our lives as being subject to two forces—surface winds and ocean currents. The winds represent everything changeable, unpredictable, and distressing. But operating simultaneously with these gusts and gales is another force that’s even more powerful. It’s the sure movement of God’s wise and sovereign purposes, the deep flow of His constant love.
Suffering comes from pain or distress. From the biblical viewpoint, our suffering began when sin entered the world. Both mankind and all creation were afflicted with “thorns and thistles,” sin, death, and decay. (Gen 3:16–19; Rom 8:18–21). Job tells us that because of sin, misery is a common human experience, and our short life is full of trouble (Job 14:1–6). It is impossible for human beings to avoid natural calamity, physical injury, and interpersonal conflict, yet God uses affliction and adversity to instruct, discipline, and strengthen His children.
Today, many people are dealing with trials and tribulations. Some were brought about because of their own sin; some from the sin of others; some just because we live in a fallen world. Whatever the cause, know that a merciful God seeks to love us through the trial, as we trust Him for our daily lives. Everyday we choose who we will trust: the surface winds of circumstances or the deeper ocean movement of God.
New Every Morning
Yea, “new every morning,” though we may awake,
Our hearts with old sorrow beginning to ache;
With old work unfinished when night stayed our hand
With new duties waiting, unknown and unplanned;
With old care still pressing, to fret and to vex,
With new problems rising, our minds to perplex
In ways long familiar, in paths yet untrod,
Oh, new every morning the mercies of God!
His faithfulness fails not; it meets each new day
New guidance for every new step of the way;
New grace for new trials, new trust for old fears,
New patience for bearing the wrongs of the years,
New strength for new burdens, new courage for old,
New faith for whatever the day may unfold;
As fresh for each need as the dew on the sod;
Oh, new every morning the mercies of God!
– Annie Johnson Flint
The Power of Truth:
“My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.” Psalm 119:28
“I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall.
I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” Lam. 3:19-24
Suggestion for Prayer:
If your circumstances have overwhelmed you, give God control of your life. Allow Him to give you the peace you need.