We Have Many Troubles

The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all; Psalm 34:19 (NIV)

I was sitting in the dentist’s office with a broken tooth, and opened the Bible on my phone, and the verse above was staring back at me. For the previous month many disappointments had come our way. My wife and I felt shocked at how our fortunes had sunk so quickly. Now I had a broken tooth on top of it all.

It is very true that many troubles come our way, yes even as Christians we live in the “school of hard knocks”. As the Bible says: Many are the afflictions of the righteous…(Psa. 34:19 NASB).

I am convinced that all of life is just one big school and learning experience meant to prepare us for heaven. It is easy to forget that, to believe that comfort and easy times should be our lot in life. Our expectations can set us up for disappointment when the hard knocks come, and they inevitably do.

Do we despair and give up when troubles pile on? Do we throw a fit and shake our fist at God? Or do we grit our teeth, put our head down, and keep moving forward despite the storm of afflictions that has come upon us?

My hope is that you will call upon the Lord to help you through this school of hard knocks, that you will learn to rely upon Him and trust Him even as the troubles come. It is wonderful to bask in the love of God in sunny weather, but that love of God which is stronger than steel is most needed during stormy weather. Our trust in Him is most important during such times. We have a God who is with us in our troubles, and will see us through them.

Dear Lord, sometimes with the wind howling around us we become weak and fearful, remind us always that You are with us in Life’s storms. Amen.

Karlton Douglas

Copyright 2016