Hallelujah!!! June is here! January seems like yesterday! For others, it could be that May went really slowly because of various reasons. But hey, we have moved into a new month and we are alive! We thank God for seeing us through and by His grace, He will continue to see us through. What hope we have in our heavenly Father! Isn’t He faithful ladies? I would like to share with two very simple verses that I was given as daily devotional verses:
Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food…yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Saviour - Habakkuk 3:17-18.
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice – Philippians 4:4.
When I first started reflecting on these verses, what came to my mind immediately was to praise the Lord always. Of course as human beings, it is very easy to praise God when things are going well, when our requests are being granted by God, or when things are going as we expect them to.
But what if things aren’t going so well… For example, you have looked for a job endlessly, but you still haven’t found one, leading to financial difficulties. It might be that you are struggling with your studies or career - that boss that is giving you a very hard time is making life unbearable. Maybe things aren’t going well with your family life – husband, children, parents, siblings, or you are all alone and feel forgotten or left out. Are you living in a warzone where there is so much devastation, that even basics such as food and water are hard to get? Could it be that you are battling serious health issues, or could it be you recently lost a loved one? Any of these can make life feel so difficult and at times like this, we may feel God isn’t listening to us or He isn’t there for us and may find it really hard to praise Him.
The Bible tells us that God inhabits the praises of His people Psalm 22:3 and we know it is good to praise Him (See Psalm 147). Also, don’t forget that the enemy tries to take advantage when we are weak. When we feel low in spirit, the enemy, whom we know is like a roaring lion looking for whom to devour could try to make things worse by making us lose our faith, our hope, our joy, our confidence. So don’t give the enemy the opportunity to pounce!
God doesn’t need our praise, but I see God saying “Well done” whenever we praise Him, even more so when we are going through hard times as it shows we trust in Him. Remember the verse “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6. Rejoicing in the Lord no matter what is about trusting the Lord always. E.g Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, Daniel
One way I have heard lots of preachers say to go about this is to think of all the blessings the Lord has bestowed on us when we are going through difficult times, and it really does help to uplift our spirit to the point where we are able to praise Him.
So dear ladies, let us try not to be weighed down by life’s trials. Let us try to rejoice in Him always and remember He is more than able to see us through whatever life throws at us.
Also, all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord – Romans 8:28a. Let us have His peace in our hearts throughout this month and always.
Remain blessed.
No comments:
Post a Comment