Morning Devotional

September  26, 2005
"Ouch!" (Part 2)     
    by Don Emmitte

Home

O our God, won't you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help." (2 Chronicles 20:12 NLT).

Today’s reading is a continuation of yesterday’s reading (see “Ouch Part 1” at www.GraceRestoration.org). I have emphasized the second half of the verse to draw your attention to a key to responding to the trials of life positively and successfully.

The context of the verse is essential. The Israelites didn’t know what to do. They were afraid. They were in uncharted territory. They were in a trial. With no answers of their own they turned to God for help. That’s the final definition of a trial I will use in this series. A trial is one of those times of real pain in life where you don’t know how to ease the pain and you would do anything to find an answer. At that point, at least for the Christian, God becomes even more important as you call on Him for help.

Katrina and Rita aside these are times of tremendous stress for many people. I don’t think we have ever seen our nation under more trying times. Both corporately and personally people have found themselves at the end of their hope and strength. Perhaps that describes your situation. Perhaps this is a time of great pain physically, emotionally, or spiritually for you.  Perhaps you are experiencing real difficulty in a marriage or other relationship.  It could be that you are suffering with the grief resulting from the loss of a loved one. It may be that your financial situation is causing you heartache. A consultation with a doctor may be stretching your faith beyond your strength to endure. If these are true in your life, or other things, you are in a trial.

Well, the good news is that now you know you’re stressed! That’s certainly a revelation, isn’t it? Of course, you didn’t need a devotional to tell you that did you? One thing is fairly certain. If you are in a trial, no one had to tell you that you were. Trial may not have been the word you used, you may not even have had a title for it, but you already knew something was wrong in your life. As we continue this series we will focus on some answers as to the “whys” of trials and the impact they have upon us. I hope you will keep up with this series and that you will pass them along to your fellow sufferers.

Until then, let me go back to the end of today’s reading. They cried out to God in their pain: “…but we are looking to you for help.” That’s the beginning of it all. I have marveled at the attention given to the aftermath of the tragic stories revolving around the recent hurricanes to hit the Gulf Coast. I would never minimize the destruction and devastation to so many people, but the media has it all wrong. It seems they are concentrating on what went wrong and who to blame. I believe we need to concentrate on what we can do now and whom we can turn to for help. Whatever is troubling you today, forget about the past. Learn from it so that it will not become a repetitive pattern in your life, but look to the future by placing yourself in God’s hands today.