When we are in desperate and difficult situations, our quick response is to escape or resolve them as soon as we can. We will do anything to make our lives normal again. However, there are situations in our lives that do not have quick fixes. There is no other way out but to go through them and persevere. There are many ways that people respond to desperate and difficult situations. For some people, they will try to escape through drugs and alcohol. Others will blame God for allowing them to go through these desperate situations. They will doubt God's goodness and love and begin to have resentment against God. And their resentment against God turns to reject God in their lives. But others respond to their desperate and difficult situations like the Psalmist in Psalm 77. The Psalmist in Psalm 77 chose to cry out to God and plead for help. He prayed, "I cry out to God; yes, I shout. Oh, that God would listen to me! When I was in deep trouble, I searched for the Lord. All night long, I prayed, with hands lifted toward heaven, but my soul was not comforted. I think of God, and I moan, overwhelmed with longing for his help (vss. 1-3)."
When we realize that God is all we have and that we are under His mercy and love, we will have the strength and courage to ask God for help. Even in groaning and pain, our faith in God will give us peace and assurance. We will never experience God's power and strength in our situations when we are not willing to completely surrender and give everything to God. We run to God because He is all we have. When we face our mortality, God is the only one who can comfort us. I remember when I was desperate for a job, and I didn't have enough money to go to the dentist for a toothache. I slept in pain, and tears flowed down my cheek, and I just quietly rested on God's grace to help me. It wasn't easy to go through it, but God used that situation to teach me something very important in my spiritual walk with Him: He is my ever-present help in my desperate situations.
In this broken world, there is no escape from desperate and difficult situations. Pain and suffering are always around the corner, but we should not be afraid because we can trust in our God, who is faithful to help us through whatever situation we are in.
Questions for application: (Think through these questions carefully, meditate on them while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you.) Who can help me in my desperate and difficult situations? How can I have peace in the midst of my desperate and difficult situations? How much do I trust God in my desperate and difficult situations?
Write down all the worries you face today and lift them up to God.
Prayer:
Dear Father in Heaven, thank you for being my ever-present help in my time of need. I praise you for always being there, even when I am not aware. When I am too overwhelmed with my problem, and I do not know what to do, please help me to trust you completely and experience your peace in the process, for in the end, you will work everything out according to your purpose and plan in my life. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
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