How to Hold On

Read | Psalm 37:5-7

Job was a man who certainly knew trouble and temptation, and yet he boldly claimed, “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him” (Job 13:15). That is commitment. Job had lost his children, his fortune, and his health, but he refused to abandon faith in God. The stricken man was determined to hold on because he trusted the Lord to do right.

Unwavering commitment to trust the Lord in all situations is a cornerstone of unshakable faith. From the vantage point of that foundation, we can focus our eyes upon God alone. It is easy to be distracted by circumstances and allow them to dictate our emotions. But if that’s the case, then when life is good, we’re happy; when times are tough, we’re frustrated; and when hardship pours in, we’re downright miserable and looking for escape.

Unlike Job, we are fortunate to have Scripture, which reveals God’s nature and promises. And it is a wise believer who claims those promises when enduring hardship. For His Word tells us that our Father is always good, always just, always faithful, and always trustworthy. When we take our eyes off the whirl of day-to-day activity and concentrate on honoring Him and following in His way, we find a consistent peace that carries us through both plenty and poverty.

In order to hold on to God through any trial or temptation, commit to trust and follow Him all of your days. Lay claim to His promises: The unchanging Lord and Savior (Heb. 13:8) is committed to caring for you in all circumstances (1 Peter 5:7) and will never leave or forsake you (Heb. 13:5).

Dr. Charles Stanley

Faithless Fear

 

By Dr. James R. Miller(modern English version by The Vine © 2011)

He himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion, and they woke him up, and told him, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are dying?”

Mark 4:38

These words imply that the disciples thought Jesus did not care about them in their danger – that He was neglecting them by sleeping while they might die. This was not true at all! They were never safer than they were that moment, in the middle of the storm. The boat the Lord traveled on could not sink . Faith should have trusted despite the darkness.

Yet don’t we also, at least in our hearts, say the same thing to our Lord? When we are in a difficult time and He does not come to save us; when we seem about to be crushed by the waves of adversity, and no relief comes down from Him. Do we never say, “Jesus does not care that I’m dying” ? When we pray so hard and long that a heavy burden would be lifted and no answer comes, does the thought arise in our minds that Jesus doesn’t hear us?

Such a complaint is never just. Sometimes he may not seem to care. The disciples had some lessons to learn. One was how helpless they were in the face of a dangerous world. Another was that Christ alone could deliver them. They could not learn these lessons except in the storm with their Master asleep. Like the disciples, we have lessons we cannot learn until Christ withholds his help for awhile. Sometimes He hides Himself for a season just to teach us faith, but He is never indifferent to us. He never neglects or forgets us. He always pays attention and at the right moment He comes to help us.

We should learn to trust our Lord so strongly that any time we are scared we can have peace from our worry knowing that He will take care of us.  After all, no matter what happens in this life we are assured of salvation and eternal peace and joy in the next!

Reasons to Trust

PROVERBS 3:5-6

We often find it easy to trust the Lord when circumstances are pleasant. In difficult times, though, resting in Him can be challenging. Yet that is precisely what God told David to do: “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall deliver you” (Ps. 50:15).

As we saw yesterday, trusting the Lord is possible because of His love for us. In the Bible, we see this divine love clearly demonstrated through the Father’s character, the Savior’s atoning death, and the believer’s adoption as a child of God.

Another reason we can rely upon our heavenly Father is His infinite wisdom (Rom. 11:33). He always knows what is best for us, and His judgments are perfect. We don’t understand all that goes into God’s plan–compared to the full, clear view He has of our lives, we see just a limited picture of reality. Therefore, what He chooses for us may not make sense at the time.

We can also depend upon the Lord because He is sovereign. In other words, whatever He–in His wisdom and love–chooses to do, He is able to accomplish. Nothing stands in the way of our God. He is in complete control of all things; even Satan must obtain His permission before taking action (Job 1:9-12).

We understandably dislike adversity intensely and may feel tempted to ask, “Why, Lord?” Yet by recognizing that God acts in love, wisdom, and sovereignty, we can know that He’s allowed the situation and has our long-term best in mind. So we can replace “why?” with gratitude and trust.