By Not Known
“Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice.” Ps. 55:17
How do we persevere through trials by trusting and drawing close to the Lord? It could be a hard blow to lose a stable job, or to see a child going wayward, or when a long term relationship end or when one receives the news of a terminal illness. It can be heart-breaking to grapple and to live with mixed emotions so as to make sense of life. During such times, people often wonder why God has turned away from them or is silent to their cries.
I believe some struggle about who God is and who God truly is. We want to believe that our God is a God who blesses us spiritually, physically and materially. We want to believe that His grace will cover all our everyday wrong doings. We also want to believe that He will forgive us no matter what we have done. When things do not turn up as we expect, we may be disappointed or angry with God.
Our God is truly the Almighty One who gives us sufficient grace and strength to go through all trials to grow stronger. Paul had a thorn in his flesh, he prayed to God three times for removal but it remained. Paul accepted it as God’s will. He believed that God’s grace and strength were sufficient and they are displayed through his weaknesses.
Our Lord Jesus Himself also prayed twice to God to remove the cup of suffering in the garden of Gethsemane. Yet, He submitted His desire to God’s will for Him to suffer on the cross. He understood God’s will and through pains and sufferings, He experienced God’s grace. In Psalm 55, the Psalmist faced his trial without running away from God. He cried out to God with the knowledge and assurance that God listened to his pleas and understood his pains.
Have our trials and troubles drawn us closer to God? Often we are consumed by our trials and sufferings day in and day out and we groaned and moaned over them. God is compassionate and gracious towards us, He understands our sighs and grumblings. We are sometimes like children who need to be coaxed to settle down. In order to follow the example of the Psalmist, we need to cry to the Lord in humility. We don’t know how God will help us in our trials, but one thing for sure, Jesus assures us with these words, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). Trust in Jesus, He hears us!