By Susan Smith
One of
the most difficult things we go through is when we (or someone we love) is in
trouble.
Troubles come to all of us, and they come in different sizes. There is "capital T" troubles and "little T" troubles, but they impact us just the same. Trouble on the job, financial trouble keeping up with the cost of living, legal troubles, trouble with our health, trouble coping with stress, a son or daughter falling in with the wrong crowd and getting into trouble, trouble with the landlord, trouble with the IRS, the list goes on and on. Some troubles are inconvenient nuisances and annoyances, but other things bring major havoc, heartbreak and disrupt our lives.
As long as we are still living on this side of the clouds, there will always be one thing or another to deal with. Jesus said: “In this world you will have trouble but be of good cheer- I have overcome the world”. John 16:33. He is telling us to cheer up, keep our chin up, and take heart, don’t get discouraged, because He can help us with any trouble we can go through. Saying that He has overcome, means He is the champion. He won. He has the power and ability to step in and turn things around. I don't know what trouble you might be facing right now, or what kind of help is needed, but what I do know is that we are not alone in life's brutal hardships. Hebrews 4:14 teaches us that "We have a Great High Priest, Jesus, who has entered heaven". Jesus is compassionate and sympathizes with our weaknesses, difficulties, and our humanity. He remembers that we are made of dust. He understands.
We can approach His throne of grace, in heaven (through prayer), to find help in time of need. People get excited when they receive a backstage pass to meet a singer, a speaker, or a band for just a few minutes. We have access to Jesus’s throne room anytime we want, where the Great High Priest is sitting at the right hand of the heavenly Father. He wants to hear you, to listen. How awesome is that? I've read about people being on the waiting list to visit royalty, sometimes for up to two years for a 20-minute appointment, which can be bumped on a moment’s notice as protocol or situation deem necessary. We can go to the Lord with our troubles, our emergencies, our cares, our needs anytime we want, as often as we want, and stay as long as we want. And He will never say "What do you need this time?" He won't treat us as if we are bothering Him. No, that's not His attitude at all. He invites us to "come BOLDLY into the throne of grace to find help in time of need". Hebrews 4:16. Coming in boldly doesn't mean coming in hot like a door kicker. No, it means coming in to see Him CONFIDENTLY, not ashamedly, because you know you've been invited and that we are welcome. Knowing that He is FOR US and not against us. And He also said, "You have not because you ask not". That's James 4:2. It's like Jesus is leaning forward on His throne and saying, “Why didn't you come to me and ask for help? I told you that you could, and I meant it.” You see, the only way to slice this is that if we don't get God's help on a matter, it’s because for whatever reason, we just didn't ask. So, stop and pray. Your prayers bring you into the throne room where the King is waiting. Ask for help. You will be answered. Jesus assures us that "My sheep hear My voice." When you bring your needs to Him, He will answer.
Have you ever been in a bind and called or texted a friend multiple times in a state of urgency, but they didn't pick up, didn't return your call, or even check in on you later? Or maybe the person who was supposed to be there let you down. They didn't show up, they were a no-show, no-call, and you have no idea what is going on with them? Did they flake out on you? Did they space it? I can assure you that won't happen when you are working with the Lord Jesus Christ. He is ALWAYS PRESENT. He never slumbers or sleeps. That is the heartbeat of this message.
He IS interested in listening to you, guiding you through, standing with you, and will walk along side of you, and bringing the healing needed if that becomes necessary. Psalm 138:8 promises us “The Lord will perfect that which concerns you.” But we must allow Him to do so. I'm guessing that before you feel totally comfortable going to God for help, you might want to know more about Him and How will might react. Maybe you had somebody who gave you a hard time, a teacher, a coach, a boss, or a parent or guardian who was always disapproving or disappointed, or too critical. Or maybe they seemed to have it out for you, and you dreaded the thought of having to go to them with a problem. God isn't that way. That's not who He is, and we can't project fallen human character with a sin nature onto Him. Sure, He shows us where we need to make changes, but it is always from a place of love. It's important to know if there are any barriers that keep us from going to God, so we can get identify those, and get them out of the way. Whatever it is, the issue will be on our side, not His.
It could be fear.
It
could be shame.
It
could be pride.
It
could be past hurt.
It
could be a bad experience in the past.
It
could be independence, the strong-silent type.
It
could be uncertainty.
It
could be lies.
It
could be a lack of knowledge that you can come to the throne room, or how to do
it.
God is good. We can always go to Him trouble, as long as our heart is in the right position. Why is that? Because He resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. He knows who just wants to avoid consequences, and whose heart is really willing to do whatever He says to do.
Psalms 103 tells us "Not to forget His benefits". Just like we have benefits from our job, there are benefits that come with serving the Lord. Some of the benefits are that He forgives our sin (which may be what got us into trouble. Just saying), He heals all our diseases, He redeems our life from destruction, He crowns us with loving kindness and tender mercies, He satisfies our life with good things, He executes righteousness and justice for the oppressed, He is merciful and gracious, He is slow to anger, He has an abundance of compassion (mercy) and loving kindness. He doesn't deal with us according to what we deserve and on and on it goes. Does that sound like a Savior you need to be afraid to approach when you are in trouble?
Try Psalm 31:19: "How great is your goodness which you have stored up for those who fear you (respect you), and which you have prepared for those who take refuge in you.". Amen! God is storing up goodness, and He prepared goodness for you.
Or Psalm 145:17, "The Lord is righteous in all His ways, and He is kind in all His works". Even if you have done some things that are wrong, which we call sin, (and let's keep it real- who hasn't?) we have the promise of God found in 1 John 1:9, "that if we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness".
Does this sound like a Savior that we need to be afraid of, or avoid, when we are in trouble? He already knows what's going on. He already knows what we need. But we have a part in it. His kingdom is set up on principles. Similar to principles in the earth. For example, if you want to get a driver's license, then you learn how to drive, you pass the written test, the road test, and then you get the license. There is a system set up. A process to follow. They don't just mail you a license automatically when you turn 16. Or, if you want to reap vegetables, you have to plant seeds. We have a part. The harvest isn't automatic. And in the kingdom of God, there is a bit of a process. Of course, God is sovereign and can step in at any moment. But in general, I find that help is not always purely automatic. Some promises in the bible are "conditional promises". It's not hard. That simply means God set them up with a condition to be followed. That's the way He wants it. Here's how it works: We have to do our part, the condition, and then He responds and does His part of fulfilling His promise.
Psalm 50:15 tells us: "God says, Call upon Me in the day of trouble. I will rescue you, and you will honor Me, and glorify Me."
And Psalm 91:15 "He will call upon Me, and I will answer him. I will be with Him in trouble."
In these two scriptures, we see the condition, our part of the deal, is to call upon Him. Then get specific with your request. "
Certainly, the Lord can do anything and anytime. But I gather from these two scriptures alone that He desires a relationship with us. He wants to put our hearts at ease that we can come to Him. He wants us to know His goodness and how much He wants to connect with us. If He solved every problem and trouble automatically, we would miss those opportunities to connect with His mercy, and we would miss the gift of trust building and bonding with the Lord, coming to know that we can count on Him all the more, even in distress. There's a love that grows stronger when God has been so good and kind. We become more grateful. We appreciate Him more and more.
Hebrews 11:6 goes deeper. "Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Whoever comes to God, must believe that God exists, and (you must believe) that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." We have to believe and have faith that He wants to reward us for coming to Him. It can't be any plainer. God wants us to release faith in His goodness to us in trouble. I am here to tell you that you can go to God in trouble. He will reward your faith. He works His answers, and His solutions in His own way and in His perfect timing. Some things take time, but He will not deny His Name or His Word. Enter in. He promises, "Come unto Me, all who are weary, and I will give you rest". I don't know about you, but troubles and problems make me feel weary. It's a relief to go visit the Lord about them.
Here
are a few tips to walk through trouble with the Lord:
1) God
is always present, an ever present help in time of need. "God is our
refuge, God is our strength, and a very present help in time
of trouble". Psalm 46:1. This is powerful to the person in trouble.
Always present. Very present. Present every single time. Very close. And
a great listener. Just call upon Him.
2) Jesus has compassion for us.
“The
Lord has compassion (mercy) on those who fear Him.” Psalm
103:14. God is merciful to those who respect Him, who honor Him,
who love Him.
3) He provides wisdom that we need.
"If
any of you lack wisdom, He should ask God who gives generously without finding
fault. He should ask, and wisdom will be given." James
1:5
4) Jesus
cares for us. He wants us to cast our cares to Him.
When
is the last time someone offered to take care of your problems, cares, worries
and troubles? Jesus did! And not grudgingly either. He isn't rolling His eyes
in a way that makes us feel embarrassed, or ashamed, to ask for help. It's not
like He's saying "You again Susan? What is it this time? " No!
That’s not how He rolls. He freely invites us to "call ALL our
cares onto Him, for He Care for us." 1 Peter 5:7. ALL our cares means
we are going to be coming to Him on a very regular basis. That’s freedom. That’s
powerful.
5) Jesus and the Holy Spirit are praying to the Father for you!
Hebrews 7:25 goes on to say that "Jesus ever lives (lives eternally) to make intercession for us. This is a game-changer. Jesus Himself is praying for you. He knows what we need. But that's not all. The Holy Spirit is also praying for you. That's HUGE! That should crank your tractor! Romans 6:26-27 says this: The Holy Spirit helps us in our weaknesses (trials). We don't know what we ought to pray for, but the Holy Spirit Himself intercedes for us. Jesus is in Heaven and the Holy Spirit is in the earth. Both are praying for you. So bring your troubles and your cares. There have been times that I just stop and say Lord Jesus, please pray for me. Holy Spirit, please intercede for me. When that happens, Help is certainly on the way. While the situation may not have changed yet, and I'm still watching and waiting for the turn-around, on the inside I feel the release of the burden.
And may
I say, we don’t have to wait until things are in crisis mode to enter the
throne room. We can pray pre-emptively “Deliver us from evil, from trouble”. We
can pray daily for the Lord to help us, guide us through the landmines, ahead
of time. God
moves in mysterious ways. You can take your troubles to the Lord. Lay those burdens down. And wait on Him. God knows just what to do about your troubles.
“I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard
for Me?" Jeremiah 32:27.