Monday, June 29, 2009

Mid-Day Devotion 6/29/09



“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me. The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.”
Psalm 138:7 and 8


I remember times in my life where I thought, this is never going to end… I still, no matter how much time passes, no matter how much I may grown or as far from those previous troubles I may be, find myself thinking the same thing… when is this ever going to end?

Overwhelming, there are circumstances that hit our lives that seem to tear at us, that seems to just rip at us, robbing us of our peace and our comfort, taking from us every measure of solace that we have. It wears on us as there seems to be no end to the strife, no calm amidst the storm, as tranquility finds itself so far off and adversity crushes our spirits. Darkness swirls all around us and the reassurances that we may have once had, the security and the contentment that once guided our souls no longer seem to soothe us or even placate us as we search so desperately for a sense of relief.

If this is my life at times, as I search for answers amidst the divine plan of our Lord, I could not imagine the life of the hostage and the captive, the slave and the victim of human trafficking, so lost in a world they don’t understand, a world that doesn’t seem to make sense. One moment they lived their lives, and their troubles, no matter how small they might later seem to them, were the biggest troubles in the world. Now though, as they find themselves in held in the grips of unrighteousness, dwelling within the grasps of wicked men who work their wicked ways, those problems are so small, so insignificant compared to the agony and the anguish, the troubles and the adversity that now sinks its claws into them.

Peace is fleeting and hardship marks their way…

Yet there is the promise of the Lord…

Through all things, in all things there is blessed promise of a loving Heavenly Father who sees the challenges of the soul that lays waste to the spirit. “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies.”

God does not forsake His children to the hands of evil, nor does He forget them when they are in the grips of wickedness. He does not turn His eyes from them when they are in desperate need of comfort and peace. Though they may ask “When will this end?” “Will this just never end?” He is there with those who struggle, He is their rod and their staff that they may be given the strength to stand even as they find themselves too weak to move. He is there to shine His mercy and His compassion, His love and His kindness, that it may light the souls of those who find themselves amidst darkness, feeling it overtake their souls.

Not wickedness or unrighteous, not evil or injustice, it is the mercy of God that endures forever.

God knows the plight of the captive and prisoner, He knows of the adversity that grips the hostage and the slave, He knows of the pain of the child grabbed from the street to be traded as cattle, and He works His will to ensure that they are guarded and protected, held close in His loving precepts. Though the Prince of this World, in his evil ways, seeks to destroy the hearts and the souls, the spirits of those whom he comes in contact with, a loving God of mercy, our Heavenly Father works, through all things, in all things, to contend with the His children.

Trust therefore not in the power or in the might of the unrighteous who hold humanity cheap and the dignity and integrity of life in such horrid estate, trust in the power of a righteous God, a God who sent His only son to rescue the captive souls of all people that they might be lead to redemption in the blood of the lamb. He is capable of all things, and His Spirit stands strong with His children, even in the darkest of days when trouble seems so close at bay. Even when we do not understand the struggles or we do not understand the afflictions of those who are held captive, He does and He works to give those hostages strength and courage throughout their ordeal.

Trust in the Lord and know that He does not fail or forsake His children, He does not abandon the nor does He let darkness overtake them. He concerns Himself with their struggle and, in that, we know that the darkness ends where God’s love begins, the struggles come to an end where the mercy of the Lord starts. His light and His grace, His compassion for His children, endures all things, and shines in the lives of all those in need or in trouble as His adoration shows itself as He lifts His hand to heal and to protect even against the darkest of forces in this world.

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