Putting God First with my Troubles - Week 7

Troubles...who has troubles?  If we are honest with ourselves, we all have troubles.  We all experience difficult times in our lives, and sometimes these difficulties are a daily struggle.  Troubles can drag you down, exhaust you, deplete you of energy and life.  Have you been there?  Are you there today?

When we are struggling, where do we turn to find relief from our troubles?  Read this comment from Brian Anderson, founding pastor of the Vineyard Christian Fellowship in North Phoenix, Arizona as he addresses how we need to put God first in our times of trouble.

When I have unexpected troubles, problems, or crises, to whom do I turn? God says, "Turn to me first when you have a problem." Psalm 50:15 says, "And call upon me in the day of trouble. I shall rescue you and you will honor me.”  I have found that many people turn to God as a last possible hope instead of their first option. They first do everything they can in the natural to fix the problem and when they can't, they say, "Well all we can do now is pray." It is almost like if I have to pray about a situation, then it must be really hopeless! The reality is that God should be the first option in our lives and not the last resort. God always wants us to turn to Him. Peter tells us in I Peter 5:7, "Cast your cares upon Him because He cares for you.”

Did you hear the confidence in the Bible as you read these verses?  “Turn to me”, “Call upon me”, “Cast your cares upon me”.  The instruction from the Bible says to look to God in your times of trouble.  I agree with Pastor Anderson that many times we fail to turn to God first.  If we neglect to do this simple act of obedience by looking to God first, then we are relying on our own strength and power, not the Lord’s strength and power.  Since our God knows us better than we know ourselves, wouldn’t it be the wisest thing to turn to God first before anything else?

Application today - whatever trouble you are in today, turn to God.  Whatever struggle you are facing in life today, have you truly called upon the Name of the Lord and asked Him to help you?  Are you tired and depleted because life is bogging you down to the point of desperation and you do not know what to do?  I encourage you to cast your cares upon the Lord, for he cares for you today.  

Might you find the peace that passes all understanding once you pray to God and ask him to help you today.  (Phil. 4:7)  And if you do not understand why you are in the middle of trouble, read James 1:2-4 to gain insight from the Lord.

I am here to encourage you in your journey with the Lord.  If I can come alongside you and pray for you as you walk through a difficult situation, then please contact me.  I would be honored to pray for you today.

Thanks for reading!  Have a great day.  Keith

Here is a follow up to the blog today from Greg Laurie:
http://www.harvest.org/devotional/?utm_campaign=DailyDevo&utm_medium=email&utm_source=E14DD617