Articles
In Difficult Times
It is rare and particularly unsettling when we face difficult times that encompass many nations, as does the current health and financial threat. We yearn for comfort, but where can we go for wisdom that is sure and words of guidance that will never let us down? The Word of God. There we find the only words that can bear the full weight of our lives and, on days like today, can calm our unsettled hearts.
One of the most comforting sections of the Scriptures is the Psalms. Let us be reminded of some things written by the psalmist in the 33rd Psalm—three things that we need to remember in times like these.
God Knows, and God Cares
First, in times like these, we need to remember that God knows and God cares. The psalmist writes: “The LORD looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men. From the place of His dwelling He looks On all the inhabitants of the earth” (Psalm 33:13-14).
What a comfort it is to know that the good God who created us is constantly aware of us. He sees the events on earth. He sees the anxiety in our hearts, and He cares that we are hurting. The apostle Peter writes, “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).
In times like these, we need to remember that God knows our distress, and He cares.
God Is Good
In times like these, we also need to remember that God is good. The psalmist says, “… The earth is full of the goodness of the LORD” (Psalm 33:5).
We need to remember that the good God Who made us made all things good. On that sixth day of creation, “… God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). God put good things all around us and in the Bible. God has told us how to use the good things He has given us for good purposes (2 Timothy 3:17).
When we face difficult times, we must not let those challenges confuse us into thinking that God is not good or that God does not want good things for us. He does. He loves us, and He wants us to have the best life possible here on this earth, but to have that life, we must follow the Bible He has given us.
So, in times like this, it is indeed important to remember that God is good, and that God wants us to have the good things He has prepared for us.
We Are Assured of Spiritual Victory
Third, there is one other thing that, in times like these, we need to remember. If we will follow the Lord’s way, there is nothing that can defeat us in this life. In that 33rd Psalm, we read, “Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him… For our heart shall rejoice in Him, Because we have trusted in His holy name” (Psalm 33:18-21).
If we will trust in the Lord, there is nothing in this life that we cannot bear. Who among men suffered more than the apostle Paul? Yet he was able to say, “We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; … struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9).
In times like these, we need to remember that if we will seek to do the Lord’s will, there is nothing that can defeat our spirits. We can reach the higher spiritual ground that is on the other side of any dark valley.
