Trusting God in between the Praise and the Pain
Have you ever been in a situation where you have been praising the LORD, But now you are in a place of testing (be it physical such as an illness or dealing with a difficult person. You may be in a financial challenge, where you need a blessing to pay the bills or buy groceries, or items for your family. Perhaps mind is being challenged and you are not sure what to do. Depression, or sadness may be trying to move into your mind, or your spirit is feeling low about the present circumstances you are faced with in life.
What do you do, in between the praise and pain you are faced with?
The Holy Bible has many examples of people who had to continue to trust God, between praising Him and their pain. For example: In Mark 12 : 1 – 10, we read that Herod was expressing violence to the church. When he saw the reaction he received from the Jews for killing James the brother of John, he decided he would go for Peter next. So, he had Peter put into prison, delivering him to four squads of soldiers (four men in each squad), with a soldier either side of him, chains around his wrists, and a soldier on each side on the outside of his cell. This was now Peter’s third time in prison. Herod wanted to make sure he kept him, until after the Passover, where he planned to give him the same outcome as James.
What are you going through right now, that seems impossible for you to escape? Keep praising the LORD, even if you have to face the pain ahead of you. Unlike a previous incarceration, Peter was not singing but sleeping in his prison cell. For him to sleep tells us that he was not worried or anxious about his predicament. He seems at peace.
How are you, whilst you are going through your situation? Are you worrying? Anxious? Angry? Confused? Lost? Scared? Nervous? Then an angel of the Lord appeared and woke Peter up. Although a great light shone in the prison, none of the guards or soldiers were conscious of it. They were probably all asleep too! You will find that GOD will cause people around you, to not notice Him at work in your life. Only you will notice His handy work. So, Peter followed the angels instructions, thinking he was having a vision. His chains fell off, he walked past all the soldiers, and when he got to the iron gates, they opened without any human intervention. It was at this point that the angel of the LORD left Peter, and Peter realised that he was not having a vision. Everything was really happening.
Whilst you are living between your praise to God and your problem, remember!
God said that He would be with you in trouble. He will deliver you and honour you. It is at that point that those involved in your problem will see the great handiwork of God in your life.
Prayer and Fasting Focus: Trusting God in between the Praise and the Pain.
Bible Reading: Mark 12 : 1-10
Bible Verse: Psalm 23 : 4 “ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For you are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”