HARD TIMES ARE PART OF LIFE
Just as the good, happy, and joyous times of life are part of life, so are the difficult, hard, and dark times. The life of Jesus is an example of this. He had a remarkable season of ministry, and many people were healed and restored. BUT the true value of His coming to earth is found in the difficult and hard times He faced, the false accusations, the cruel punishment, and the death that He endured, give us the hope and faith we have. The truth of that matter is that no one is exempt from troubles and challenges during the course of life. Although when we are facing hard times, it may appear as if everyone else is doing just fine, this is not the case. The Bible speaks about ‘when trouble comes’ not ‘if trouble comes’.
Nahum 1:7 ‘The LORD is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in Him.’
The wonderful thing that we can know during hard times is that the Lord is with us. He has not abandoned us and He offers us Himself as a refuge, and He undertakes to be close to us as we trust Him while passing through the valley.
HARD TIMES DON’T ALWAYS MEAN WE HAVE DONE SOMETHING WRONG
Sometimes we can mistakenly attribute the hardship we are facing to something we may have done wrong. Although wrong-doing has its own consequences, seasons of difficulty are not necessarily the result. As Christians we may believe that we have moved out of darkness and into light, and this is true. The darkness of sin has been lifted, but the process of life is still something we face. It is possible to do all the right things and know the favour and blessing of God on our lives, and still go through hard times, through no fault of our own, but due to the nature of life itself. I am reminded of Jesus’ own disciples. He sent them by boat across the sea and on route to their destination, they faced a storm of note. They were actually in the perfect will of God, and yet faced this major challenge.
Isaiah 50:10 ‘Who among you fears the LORD and obeys his servant? If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the LORD and rely on your God.’
You may be a child of God and yet you find yourself walking in darkness, without a ray of hope. In these seasons of our lives, we need to believe in His goodness, and trust in, and rely on Him, like never before.
If you have a PRAYER REQUEST, please send us an e-mail at Prayer@AliveToGod.com For more information about Alive to God, or to subscribe to our free DAILY BIBLE VERSE, please visit www.AliveToGod.com