One bad thing after another–have you ever had a time like that?
I did; a couple of weeks back. I probably got up on the wrong side of the bed. To top that, I got a text with some bad news. And I shouted out loud, “I don’t see God’s hand and blessing in my life!” My tone was saturated with unbelief and frustration.
Although I did not swear or curse, I felt sin weigh upon me.
I felt the Lord convict me saying, “You have seen My goodness, yet you doubt; you know better than this!”
I have been convicted by God before but this was perhaps the first time that I felt Him admonish me so firmly.
I have tasted and seen God at work in my life yet at the slightest hint of a setback my faith fizzled down. And because I have walked in the light of God, I should have known that the light overpowers the darkness; I should have said that “the shadow proves the sunshine” and not “the shadow negates the sunshine.”
The irony is that last week, I was teaching about the goodness of God. This is proof that setbacks can weaken the best of us.
In 1 Samuel 6, we read about how the Philistines returned the Ark of the Covenant to Israel.
7 “Now then, get a new cart ready. Get two cows that have just had calves. Be sure the cows have never pulled a cart before. Tie the cart to them. But take their calves away and put them in a pen. 8 Then put the ark of the Lord on the cart. Put the gold models in a chest beside the ark. Send them back to the Lord as a guilt offering. Send the cart on its way
They placed something so important as the Ark on a cart. And nothing happened to the soldiers who placed the Ark on the cart. Guess why?
The reason is that they did not know any better. They had zero knowledge of the glory and the law of God. Hence, God did not hold them responsible for this act.
However, this was not the case with Israel. They knew better! And we see in the passage that God judged the Israelites for the way they handled the ark.
Psalm 73; it is an interesting passage. In this article, I would like to highlight verse 2:
But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.
We can see David being real about his feelings here. He almost slipped because of his doubts. Adding fuel to fire, he also saw that his enemies prospering. We might fret too if we were in David’s shoes. But like most of the passages in Psalm, David talks of the hope we have in God In verse 26, we read that:
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
He still talks of his weakness as a human; that he might fail. But he calls God his constant. I love that the book of Psalm is so honest about human feelings.
I was reminded of this verse during my crisis. I realized that I had not even prayed for my issue or consulted God. So, I repented and humbled myself before Him. Isn’t it amazing that we can run to God at any point and time?
I was so thankful for this stern yet insightful conviction pertaining to the negative statement I made.
Almost immediately after I did this, I heard the tell-a-tale tone from my phone. It was text notification. And guess what, it was good news!
The knowledge of His Glory not only brings about clarity and assurance but also transformation. And with transformation comes deliverance.
When everything around you is sinking sand, remember that God is the ROCK on which you stand.
R- Redeemer. He is able to pick you up from the miry clay (even the ones you think is impossible to be pulled out from). He will clean you and remove the toughest of stains. And no matter how deep your sin is, He is ready to forgive you.
O- Omniscient. He knows every small and big thing of your life. He knows your problems; He also knows the solution for it. So, run to Him today.
C- Comforter. You may be in distress or pain but nothing is too hard for God. He gives you comfort that no material thing or man can offer.
K- Kind. Be real about your feelings with God, He has empathy for you. He will convict you of your sin, and all you need to have is the humility to accept it.