Who Do You Turn To?
God is our refuge and strength, an
ever-present help in trouble. – Psalm 46:1
When something bad happens, who is the first one you
turn to? When your world is shattered, who is the one who helps you pick up the
pieces?
Friends and family can be wonderful in bad and
uncertain times. But no one is better at handling trouble than God. He alone is
equipped to guide us and rescue us from the evil that can sometimes surround
us.
We have to ask for His help. Unlike many people in our
lives, God doesn’t generally insert Himself into our troubles without an
invitation. Instead, He waits patiently until we reach the point when we need
Him so desperately that we cry out in pain and frustration. Then He’s right
there.
Bad times generally turn people completely toward God
or completely away from Him. We may pretend otherwise but our hearts tell a
different story. There’s been many a person who went through the motions of
church while harboring a deep anger at God for what He did or didn’t do for them
or their loved one.
A dear friend became a widower long before he
expected. In fact, he’d always believed he’d be the first to go home. He was
years older than his wife. She was in good health and getting closer to
retirement. They had plans for travel and spoiling the grandchildren and just
growing old together.
ALS is an awful disease, robbing the body of its
function while allowing the mind to see and know everything. His grief
surrounds him even as he pushes forward. He has joined a new church, the one
his son and grandchildren have long attended. He is a volunteer and attends
almost every function at the church. He is learning and growing in Christ in a
way he never expected. There’s nothing quite like death to make you realize
skating through life with a lightweight faith just doesn’t work anymore.
Another friend has turned away from God. His
splintered family has ripped his heart apart. Only God could possibly untangle
the lies and change the circumstances of his situation. But God allowed it to
happen and he is just too angry to cry out for help.
He has pulled away from church and faith. He numbs his
sorrow drinking in clubs and filling his off hours with friends who do the
same. His wife prays for him, for revival in his hardened heart. Will he ever
turn back to the shallow faith he once claimed? Will he ever reach out to the
only One who can heal and restore?
Life is full of hardship, of brokenness and lies.
People we trusted will betray us in the worst ways. Illness comes even when you
do everything right. Jobs are lost. Accidents happen. Life can sometimes be so
hard.
God has all the answers. No. He won’t stop the bad
from happening. This is a fallen world after all. But He does promise to be our
refuge, our strength, our guiding light when trouble comes. We can count on His
love when everyone around us seems distant and untrustworthy.
Which path do you choose? Do you choose to draw closer
to God when trouble hits or do you choose to pull away?
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