Do you ever
wonder “how much longer” when an enduring trial or maybe and abundance of
sequential or even simultaneous trials come? We use phrases like, “up to my
eyeballs,” “over my head,” going down for the third time,” and “I don’t know
how much longer I can take it anymore.” Every single one of the phrases
expresses a frustration with the overbearing presence of adversity or trials.
And in them it is so easy to look to the size of the problem and lose sight of Who
it is that has us firmly wrapped in His hands. If you have trusted Christ for
your salvation you are a child of God, and as one He has enclosed us before and
behind and He has every moment of our lives firmly under His watchful eye and
in His powerful hands. This includes those things that haven’t happened yet
over which we can worry and fret. God calls us to trust Him for today and then
tomorrow we can trust Him for that also. This doesn’t mean we don’t have dreams
and desires, but that those dreams and desires are loosely held in relation to
His will, direction, and provision.
Today in
Jesus Calling by Sarah Young (2/27)
Keep your
eyes on Me! Waves of adversity are washing over you, and you feel tempted to
give up. As your circumstances consume more and more of your attention, you are
losing sight of Me. Yet I am with you always, holding you by your right hand. I
am fully aware of your situation, I and I will not allow you to be tempted
beyond what you are able to bear.
Your
greatest danger is worrying about tomorrow. If you try to carry tomorrow’s
burdens today, you will stagger under the load and eventually fall flat. You
must discipline yourself to live within the boundaries of today. It is in the
present moment that I walk close to you, helping you carry your burdens. Keep
your focus on My Presence in the present.
Yet I am
always with you; you hold me by my right hand. Psalm 73:23
No
temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he
will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,
he will also provide a way out so you can stand up under it. 1 Corinthians
10:13
Personal
note on 1 Corinthians 10:13, here is an amplification I wrote which has been
very helpful to me. It came about when I realized that the Greek word
translated “temptation” here is the same word elsewhere translated, “trials” or
“testing.”
There
is no test, no trial, no temptation to sin, no pushing, pulling, prodding, or
anything else that comes my way that makes me any different than anyone else.
We all experience these things, maybe in different ways and at times to
different degrees, but I am no different than anyone else.
BUT
GOD…. He is always faithful in all things. With every trial, test, or
temptation—no matter how big or how small; with all of these things He has set
a limit to them. He will not allow anything into my life beyond which He also
has not given the ability to victoriously endure. With every single test,
trial, and temptation He has provided a way of escape, and He will keep me from
being crushed, and He will bring me out standing on the other side. This is
true whether that other side is realized in this life or ultimately in His
presence. This is a certain fact.
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