Times of Trouble

We sometimes get so caught up in our struggles that we forget that God is still the One who is in control of our living.  It is always tempting to forget about His goodness when the hard times which are a part of life come down heavy upon us.   Jesus never pretended there was not trouble in the world.  In fact, He spoke of the reality that trouble comes to all of us even those who seek to live in faithfulness to Him.  It is not something we can avoid, but always something with which we live.    

What we do with our troubles to some degree measure who we are and enables us to know our ultimate values.  When they come we realize with certainty that life is not about depending upon self, but upon depending on God.  To look back over the years is to see that we have made it through the tough times, not because of our strength or being able to figure out the way forward, but because God stayed alongside of us.    

Knowing that we are not alone in our trouble may not change the hardness of it, but it does change our ability to stand.  Even as we are strengthened by those around us who dare to enter into our struggles and stand alongside of us, even more we are enabled by the presence of the Holy One who always comes to stand with us.  The recent remembrances of Bethlehem remind us that never are we alone.  God is with us!  God is always with us!  Even when we are feeling so overcome that we are sure no one is with us, God remains as the One who chooses to stay with us to give us the comfort of His presence as well as the light that leads us out of the difficulty.