Stronghold in the Day of Trouble

 

Stronghold in the Day of Trouble

by Marsha Iddings

 

 Nahum 1:7 The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.

 

The last time I wrote about  this verse, I was focusing on the fact that even when life stinks, God is still good.  This verse has blessed me as our family is passing through some rough waters right now.  God is good in spite of what is going on and He is a stronghold in our day of trouble. 

 

What is a stronghold? The Hebrew word means a fortified place.  Within a fortified place there is peace.  I can not tell you how many times I have been in the heat of the battle and have felt the peace of God flooding my heart when it would be so easy to just go to pieces in a panic.  The key word in this verse is trust.  Trusting God in the day of trouble is the key to experiencing God's peace in the middle of difficult times.  On those occasions when I have gone to pieces in a panic, thinking I can't handle anymore, have been times when my trust in God's love and care has wavered.

 

Trusting God doesn't mean you sit back and do nothing about your situation.  Trusting God is knowing that God will sustain and strengthen you to do what you need to do and know that whatever the outcome, God will use it for good in some way.  Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."  Psalm 55:22 tells us, "Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved."  These are wonderful promises to take hold of in the day of trouble.

 

God knows our frame. "For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust." (Psalm 103:14)   He knows we are weak. Trusting God doesn't mean that we never feel the effects of the storm we find ourselves in.  Trusting God doesn't mean we never cry or become physically exhausted and even depressed sometimes.  Even Elijah, one of God's prophets became physically and mentally exhausted.  1Kings 19:4 But he himself  (Elijah) went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.

 

Are you in a day of trouble?  Trust God.  He will help you to do what you need to do and give you strength to do it.  He will sustain you.  If you find yourself overwhelmed by your circumstances and sinking in despair, He will be faithful to hold you up.  Run to the Strong hold in your day of trouble!

 

Dear Father, You are my strong hold in the day of trouble.  You are good.  Please help me to take hold of these truths in my day of trouble.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.

 

 

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Teach Us to Number Our Days

Teach Us to Number Our Days

by Marsha Iddings

Luke 13:1-5 ¶ There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Did those who died at Virginia Tech have to die like that because they were worse sinners than others? Jesus would say, "No." But then he would bring it down to a stark reality. "You will perish likewise if you do not repent." You see, they were no greater sinners than you or I are. The Bible says, "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Sin is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It doesn't matter how big or how tiny the sin is, it all has the same effect in that if you offend in one point you have broken the whole law of God. James 2:10 makes that clear. "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." So Jesus brings things down to the most important issue. You must repent. Acts 3:19 says, "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;"

God knows our days. He knows when our time is up. We might be upset, thinking that those at Virginia Tech should have had more time. I am sure there were those that died who were ready to meet their God that day and others were not. The Psalmist tells us in Psalm 90:12, "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom." Our focus should be on this. Are we ready to meet God at a moment's notice? Have we repented of our sin? The Virginia Tech Massacre should cause us to pause and realize we have no guarantee of tomorrow. Are we right with God so we'll be ready when our time comes?

Dear Father, These are hard things to think about. Teach us to number our days. Teach us true repentance. Make us ready to meet You at a moment's notice. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Life Stinks, but God is Good

Life Stinks, but God is Good

by Marsha Iddings

Nahum 1:7 The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.

It has been difficult to watch the news in the wake of the Virginia Tech Massacre. I often find myself turning away in tears as it overwhelms me. The questions of why and the senselessness of the whole thing just leaves a black cloud over my day as I think about it. I pray for the students and families of the wounded and dead. My thoughts and prayers are with them.

Tonight as I was thinking about it, the phrase, "Life stinks but God is good" kept playing around in my mind. I don't know if I heard that somewhere or if it came from my own thoughts, but I think it aptly describes things. Sometimes life does stink. Sometimes it is just plain overwhelming and tough. But through all the chaos and turmoil, I can cling to the rock solid fact that God is good. He is a strong hold in the day of trouble. I trust Him and He knows me.

What happened at Virginia Tech is a terrible, terrible tragedy. Sometimes life just stinks. But in the midst of sorrow and tragedy we must not ever forget that God is still good. If we ever lose sight of that fact we will go down into the pits of despair and bitterness. If we let that happen, then not only will life stink, we will stink too! Remember God's goodness. Take hold of it in the day of trouble and trust in him.

O Father, This has been a sad, sad time for our nation. I pray that we will not lose sight of Your goodness in the middle of the sadness and sorrows that we experience. Help us as a nation to trust in You and remember that You are good. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

My One Thing

My One Thing

By Marsha Iddings

Luke 10:40-42 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

I read this in my daily Bible reading recently. The New King James Version says it this way: "But Martha was distracted with much serving,..." I struggle constantly with being distracted. Sometimes I think I have attention deficit disorder. I run from one thing to the next and have so many projects and books going all at once that I don't know what to do with myself at times! It seems like nothing ever seems to get completed or if I do complete a task there are nine others that are screaming to be done. Prioritizing is a struggle for me. I am good at writing it all down on paper, but then I forget where I put the paper or I just plain forget to look at it. There are so many worthy things to be involved in or do. However, Jesus says one thing is needful.

What was the one thing that was needful? What is that good part? We see it in Luke 10:39 "And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word." I don't know about you, but when I get so busy and distracted with all the things that need to be done or get myself too involved in extra projects, one of the first things to suffer is this area. I fail to get out my Bible and read systematically through the Scriptures to find out what God wants of me for that day. According to Jesus this should be our first priority on our list. In fact He says ONE thing is needful. Before we do anything else we need to do this one thing. How are you doing with this one thing? Put it at the top of your priority list and do it first. Then see what happens with the rest of your priority list.

Dear Father, There is much that distracts me, but I desire more than anything else to make this one thing...sitting at the feet of Jesus a daily priority. Help me to make it my one thing and then see how everything else falls into place. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

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Learning to Race

Learning to Race

By Marsha Iddings

1 Corinthians 9:24 ¶ Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.

This past week I learned a little about how to "race". We had a long car trip and for the first time, I drove most of the way to and from our destination. It was approximately an eight hour trip. Driving long distance is not my favorite thing to do. It usually terrifies me. But God gave me strength and peace about the drive and I was able to do it and actually enjoy it. Of course, it's easier to enjoy when you are behind the wheel of an Impala SS with a Corvette engine under the hood and the car handles like a dream. The Rocket was gifted to us by my father-in-law in his will.

When driving through freeway traffic where there is a cement divider on my left and a semi-truck on my right, I tend to panic. If I look at the truck beside me, I begin to steer toward the cement divider on my left. Then I see I am getting too close to that and I over-steer to the right toward the truck. It's a scary proposition. On this trip, I learned something. When I am in this kind of situation, I learned that if I stare straight ahead toward what is in front of me and don't look to my left or to my right, I can easily pass the truck without a panic. (I also learned I can zip it up from 60 to 80 in a matter of seconds and that helps too.)

The Apostle Paul says we are to run that we may obtain the prize. He goes on to say "I therefore so run, not as uncertainly..." (1 Corinthians 9:26). I was "racing" with uncertainty when I was allowing the truck on one side and the cement divider on the other to terrify me. But when I began "racing" with my eye on the destination ahead, I was no longer terrified by my circumstances.

Are you looking around at your circumstances, and allowing them to put panic into you? There are so many ways this could be applied. The Jones' homeschool is so much more perfect than what I am doing. The next door neighbor keeps such a perfect house. I can never measure up to that. Joe Blow has the perfect job and family. Why can't I do that well? And it could go on. Does it feel like things are closing in on you? Don't look at your circumstances. Look up and look ahead toward your destination. Press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God. (Philippians 3:14)

Dear Father, Thank You for safety on the roads and for the lessons You taught me about trust in You, and focusing on the goal, not my circumstances. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

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