The world is full of "heart troubles," and it always will be. Yet Jesus does not want our hearts to remain troubled. And he does not expect us to deal with those troubles so much by ignoring them as by turning toward him. As he said to his anxious disciples in John 14:1; "Trust in God, trust also in me."
When suffering and persecution and pain and difficulties do is not so much make us weak, as show us we are weak. Without them, we can deceive ourselves into believing we're prizefighters. With them, we're reminded that we're not constructed to function on our own power. The trick is to allow suffering to be used as a tool to help us depend on God and not on ourselves.
God didn't go halfway when he went to work on my behalf. He did it all. Even when I couldn't feel him, even when I couldn't sense him, even when I wasn't holding on to him anymore, God worked on my behalf. He didn't need me to do a thing!
When I faced far worse than my worst imaginings, something unexpected and wonderful happened. I realized that God is in control and God is good-even when bad things happen in our lives.
Even though I didn't know what I might have to go through next, I could rest and accept it. Because now I knew that that when I let go, I would fall into the strong hands of God.
-Jan Dravecky
{Exodus 20:18-20}
18 When
the people heard the thunder and the loud blast of the ram’s horn, and
when they saw the flashes of lightning and the smoke billowing from the
mountain, they stood at a distance, trembling with fear.
19 And they said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen. But don’t let God speak directly to us, or we will die!”
20 “Don’t
be afraid,” Moses answered them, “for God has come in this way to test
you, and so that your fear of him will keep you from sinning!”
{Proverbs 1:1-7}
1 These are the proverbs of Solomon, David’s son, king of Israel.
2 Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline,
to help them understand the insights of the wise.
3 Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives,
to help them do what is right, just, and fair.
4 These proverbs will give insight to the simple,
knowledge and discernment to the young.
5 Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser.
Let those with understanding receive guidance
6 by exploring the meaning in these proverbs and parables,
the words of the wise and their riddles.
7 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
{Proverbs 3:3-5}
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.
{Luke 18:18-27}
18 Once a religious leader asked Jesus this question: “Good Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”
19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “Only God is truly good.
20 But
to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not
commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not
testify falsely. Honor your father and mother.’”
21 The man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”
22 When Jesus heard his answer, he said, “There
is still one thing you haven’t done. Sell all your possessions and give
the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come,
follow me.”
23 But when the man heard this he became very sad, for he was very rich.
24 When Jesus saw this, he said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!
25 In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”
26 Those who heard this said, “Then who in the world can be saved?”
27 He replied, “What is impossible for people is possible with God.”
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