I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in Him. ~Psalm 40:1-3 (NIV)
Open any newspaper today and you will be made aware of problems going on all over the world and in the lives of millions of people. The truth is sometimes life can stink. We don’t like it when we look around and see good people hurting while others continue in doing wrong and seem to prosper at it, but the generations of believers before us confirm that whatever it is that keeps us on our knees before God is a good thing for us in the long run. It is good for us, and it is good for those who are watching us. Whether it be our kids, our spouse, our job, our health or our finances, there is always going to be something we need to pray about. Sure, we can plaster a fake smile on for a little while, but eventually we are going to get on our face before God and seek His comfort and strength for our lives. And when we do, He promises that repeatedly He will come to our rescue. He says He will hear our cry and pick us up. He will set us in a firm place to stand and put a new song of praise in our mouths. How many times has God done that for you? Sometimes it seems like it was just yesterday that we were pouring our heart and tears out to God and then today He gives us a skip in our step and a new song in our heart.
What a mighty God we serve and what a witness we can be to those who are hurting around us. We need to share our answered prayers with them. Jesus says He is no respecter of persons. He tells us in Revelation 22:13 “Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires to drink freely from the water of life.” (NLT) We all fall under the “anyone” category. Jesus is not judging us by our skin color, our religious affiliation, by how much money we have or even by the sins we commit every day. He promises when we wander off, He will come find us and restore us. Has the Lord come and found you and restored you from a bad place? That is a testimony, and you should share your testimony with others. It not only encourages them, it will also encourage you too. Faith comes by hearing. What are you saying? Your ears are hearing the words of faith you are proclaiming to others and faith begets faith. Next time someone tells you about a difficulty they are going through, tell them what God has done for you, what He has delivered you from and where He has brought you to. Take time to pray with them and then pray for them and encourage them that God hears our every cry and help is on the way. We need to inspire others to judge their circumstances according to the word of God and not by their feelings. We all need to be reminded that even when our circumstances don’t change quickly, God is on the throne, and nothing is too hard for Him. No one trusting in the Lord should ever stop expecting their miracle!
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. ~Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)
What bad places has the Lord brought you out of and what good places has He brought you to?
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