A GOD THAT HIDES HIMSELF

"Truly, Thou art a God Who hidest Thyself, O God of Israel, the Savior" -- Isaiah 45:15

Devotion 23 of  26

TROUBLE HAS ITS MINISTRY

      Trouble dries up the "natural" part of us. It shows us our inadequacies, as well as our need for the Lord Himself. There is a lot of "flesh" in the best of us; but difficulty will drive it from us, if we will submit to it.

      There is an expression in the 119th Psalm that describes this process. "For I am become like a bottle (wineskin) in the smoke; yet do I not forget Thy statutes" (Psa 119:83). Like a leather wineskin hanging over the smoke of a smoldering fire, trouble removes the moistness of the flesh. Thus, confidence in self wanes.

      Any notion that we are capable of directing our own steps is quickly dissolved in times of trouble and distress. While this can be a disconcerting ordeal, it can also bring out the superiority and sufficiency of faith.

      The Psalmist does not forget God in his trouble, casting his faith overboard. Rather, he confesses, "Yet do I not forget Thy statutes." There are times when the small vessels of life cannot be steered by sight. Amidst tumultuous waters, driven winds, and surrounding darkness, we must make progress while we are afraid. This is what the Psalmist meant when he wrote, "What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee" (Psa 56:3). David prayed this when he fled for fear of king Saul to Achish the king of Gath (1 Sam 21:10ff). Afraid--yes; without faith- no! He had the same spirit Jehoshaphat later possessed; "And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD . . . " (2 Chron 20:3).

      What is your response to hard troubles? Do not waver in your faith. When the brightness of the Divine presence is obscured by the clouds of trouble, faith can penetrate that cloud, remaining convinced that God is, and that He is a Rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

      What a blessed minister trouble is! It shows us what Scripture has already declared of us:  "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing" (Rom 7:18). And again, "O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps" (Jer 10:23).

PRAYER POINT: Father, I thank You through Jesus Christ that trouble reveals my own weakness, but accentuates Your strength.

-- Tomorrow: ALAS, IT WAS BORROWED! --