Have you ever experienced times in your life when one bad
thing after the other kept happening? Does it ever feel like your Loving
Heavenly Father is out to get you? When we find ourselves in a disastrous
situation, our outlook will control how we view our experiences. Having
the right attitude increases the possibility we will use our emotional
resourcefulness wisely.
It is a fact of life that pitfalls can exist in every
area of life (whether they are of the man-made or natural variety). Life can be
outside our control. You are not alone in wondering how long it will remain
upside down. Often God’s reply to the “how long” question His children ask is
to trust His wisdom, and to wait patiently for Him with every ounce of faith you
possess.
“How long are you
going to judge unfairly? How long are you going to side with wicked people?” Selah. Defend weak people and orphans. Protect the rights of
the oppressed and the poor. Rescue weak and needy people. Help them escape the power of wicked people.
(Psalm 82:2-4, GW)
“As
long as you live, keep learning how to live.” (Lucius Annaeus
Seneca)
How do you patiently wait for the Almighty with the little amount of faith that you have?
How long will you forget me, Lord, forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long will I be left to my own wits; agony filling my heart daily? How long will my enemy keep defeating me? Look at me. Answer me, Lord, my God. Restore sight to my eyes.
Otherwise, I’ll
sleep the sleep of death, and my enemy will say, “I won.” My foes will rejoice
over my downfall. But I have trusted in your faithful love. My
heart will rejoice in your salvation. Yes, I will sing to the Lord because he has been good to me. (Psalm
13:1-6, CEB)
1. Trust
in the Heavenly Father’s unfailing love for you.
“If
you want favor with both God and man, and a reputation for good judgment and
common sense, then trust the Lord completely; don’t ever trust yourself.” (Proverbs
3:5, TLB)
2.
Rejoice in Jesus’ salvation freely
offered to you.
“Christ suffered and died for sins once for all. He
never sinned and yet He died for us who have sinned. He died so He might bring
us to God. His body died but His spirit was made alive.” (1
Peter 3:18, NLV)
“What is your assurance of salvation? [It is] the promise of God's Word. If God says it, that settles it, because God
cannot lie. You can trust the promise of God's Word.” (Rick Warren)
3.
Consider the Almighty’s goodness constantly.
(It could make you dance for joy.)
“Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to
us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the Heavens. He never
changes or casts a shifting shadow.” (James
1:17, NLT)
“A saint is not someone who is good but who experiences
the goodness of God.”
(Brennan Manning) “Wondrous is the strength of cheerfulness, and its power of endurance. The cheerful man will do more in the same time. [He] will do it better, [and] will preserve it longer than the sad or sullen.” (Thomas Carlyle) [i]
[i] Inspired by the sermon
“Cries of the Heart: How Long Will This Last?” (installment two) Sunday,
June 25, 2017 Pastor Dave Jansen, CenterPoint Gahanna Church Gahanna, OH.
Additional
sources used:
·
“10 Ways to Cope When Bad Things Happen” (http://advancedlifeskills.com/blog/10-ways-to-cope-when-bad-things-happen)
·
“9 Ways to Cope When Bad Things Happen” by
Celestine Chua
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