Life is full of ups and downs. Sometimes they’re encouraging, and other times discouraging. So, what are we to do? Let the bad times destroy our dreams? No! Shove them aside and don’t allow them to ruin your future. For the believer, trust in the Lord, and believe.
God works things out. He may not do it the way we plan, but He’s in charge. He knows best even in the times when we wonder if He’s working on our behalf. You may have had that thought or one like it. Not once but many times.
We tend to forget the times He has intervened in our lives and the way He has turned the bad into good. He has a way of making things better. His timetable does not always agree with ours. His clock seems to move very slowly at times. Be assured, He always arrives on time.
Our wounds always heal. Scars may remain. They are there to remind us not to do the same thing again. Those scars show us He will intervene and solve the problem.
I’ll share one particular scar, the long one on my chest. It’s about ten inches long and is the result of open-heart surgery 17 plus years ago. I would not be writing this if God had not intervened in my life. Things have changed, improved in many ways. One byproduct of this long scar is I was given time to reflect. It directed me to be more encouraging not just in words but in actions. Helping others seems to be my new calling. At times, it is helping individuals and organizations that help others. Whoever or whatever God puts in my way is his divine appointment for me.
Times are always rotten to some. Hopeless at times. The woman, a widow at Zarephath, comes to mind. Her desperate time had arrived and she was down to her last meal. Then, God showed up in the Prophet Elijah. She shared her last meal with him. God took care of her. Who would have thought that sharing her last meal would bring God’s blessings, but it did? It always does.
Encouragement comes and goes down many avenues of life. But it seems best for those who are willing to let God have control of their lives. Maybe that’s man’s real problem. Who is in control? If we have lived very long, we have experienced tough times and great times. To me, the better times come after I have learned to let God be in control. How about you? Do you need to let God be in control?
Several verses of scripture may help.
Isaiah 43, verse 13, the first part of it. “For I, the Lord your God hold your right hand.”
Hebrews 10:24, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.”
I Corinthians 16:18, “For they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Give recognition to such people.”
