We have learned the importance of knowing the names of God so we can call on Him in our specific times of need. I have also indicated that we can be assured that God will walk with us through our circumstances. Psalm 91:14-16 reads, “Because he has set his love upon Me (God), I will deliver him, I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation.”
None of us can go through life without trouble. Scriptures tell us we are not promised days of ease and comfort, however when the winds of difficulty are upon us, God will be there by our side giving us peace, helping us seek guidance, and most importantly giving us a sound mind.
The following story came to me by e-mail but is very appropriate as we have been studying how a Child of God is to react to our difficult trials. Although this woman faced a bleak future, she knew to trust God, and use His Word as her source of comfort. The scripture she clung on to was Psalm 103:1-5 Here is what she wrote:
I received devastating news: I had breast cancer. Teary-eyed and frightened, I returned home from doctors' appointments and lab tests to find a message on my answering machine. My aunt's voice said, "Read Psalm 103:1-5. Read it over and over again. Read it every day."
I picked up my Bible and read: "Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being." I marked that page in my Bible. "Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits . . .who . . . heals all your diseases" (niv). I typed out the words to take to the hospital.
As I repeated the verses, I replaced the word your with my: ". . . who redeems [my] life from the pit" (verse 4). I read the psalm through surgery and recovery and while I waited for test results: ". . . and crowns [me] with love and compassion" (verse 4). I continued reading it through my treatments, more than once a day when I was weak, exhausted, and afraid of the future - if I had a future - "so that [my] youth is renewed" (Ps. 103:5, niv).
I read those verses daily for over a year, until my strength was renewed and I had another opportunity for life. Today my life is back almost to what it used to be, but I am not the same. Now I understand the importance of praising God in every situation.
Carol A. Lowe (Texas, USA)
Confession: I will thank and praise my God even though I cannot see the future. I will thank Him for every breath I breathe and every minute I live. I will not look at the half empty glass but will see it as a half full glass. My attitude will be one of expectation!
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