puricare chronicles: Circumstances

Showing posts with label Circumstances. Show all posts

Friday, April 16, 2021

OUT OF THE DEPTHS - Everyone faces hardships and overwhelming circumstances, many of which we cannot control. The challenge of faith is this: that even though we find ourselves in deep despair due to circumstances and the doubts that arise in us, we continue facing toward God. No matter our circumstances, we cry out to Him and know that He will answer us. He will not abandon us. When you find yourself in the depths of despair, turn toward God, not toward your circumstances. The God of the universe will hear your cry, and the deepest depths are not too deep for Him. - “Out of the depths I have cried to You, O LORD; Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. … I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning—yes, more than those who watch for the morning” - Have you ever been there? In the depths? Have you ever felt so overwhelmed by life and its circumstances that you felt as if you were in the deepest, darkest pit? The psalmist did. And he cried out to the Lord. This is actually an amazing statement by the psalmist, because when you find yourself in the depths, one of the hardest things to do is cry out to God. You may think that sounds strange. Perhaps you think that the natural cry should be to God. And it should. The problem, however, is that when we find ourselves in the depths, we stand on the edge of despair.

...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Out of the Depths

Everyone faces hardships and overwhelming circumstances, many of which we cannot control

The challenge of faith is this: that even though we find ourselves in deep despair due to circumstances and the doubts that arise in us, we continue facing toward God. No matter our circumstances, we cry out to Him and know that He will answer us. He will not abandon us.

When you find yourself in the depths of despair, turn toward God, not toward your circumstances. The God of the universe will hear your cry, and the deepest depths are not too deep for Him.

BY CBN ISRAEL IN BLOG

“Out of the depths I have cried to You, O LORD; Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. … I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning—yes, more than those who watch for the morning” - (Psalm 130:1-2, 5-6 NKJV).

Have you ever been there?

In the depths?

Have you ever felt so overwhelmed by life and its circumstances that you felt as if you were in the deepest, darkest pit?

The psalmist did. And he cried out to the Lord.

This is actually an amazing statement by the psalmist, because when you find yourself in the depths, one of the hardest things to do is cry out to God.

You may think that sounds strange. Perhaps you think that the natural cry should be to God. And it should.

The problem, however, is that when we find ourselves in the depths, we stand on the edge of despair.

Circumstances overwhelm us like violent waves of the ocean. At first, we may find the strength to face the challenges and hardships, but eventually, even inside of us, we begin to faint, wear down, and despair.

Faith is not just believing God in the good times or even the mildly bad times; faith is crying out to God from the deepest depths of despair, when everything outside of us and inside of us feels like things are hopeless.

When we can cry out to God in that moment, pleading with Him to hear our cry, that is the genuine test of our faith.

Everyone faces hardships and overwhelming circumstances, many of which we cannot control.

The challenge of faith is this: that even though we find ourselves in deep despair due to circumstances and the doubts that arise in us, we continue facing toward God.

No matter our circumstances, we cry out to Him and know that He will answer us. He will not abandon us.

The psalmist didn’t allow his circumstances to consume him, nor did he buy into the thought that his circumstances separated him from God’s being able to hear him.

From the depths, he called out to the Lord because the God of the Bible is near to the cry of His people.

When you find yourself in the depths of despair, turn toward God, not toward your circumstances.

That doesn’t mean that the hardship, difficulty, or pain will subside.

It does mean that the God of the universe will hear your cry, and the deepest depths are not too deep for Him.

PRAYER

Father, hear our cry. Give ear to our plea today. Amen.

CBN Israel exists to tell the true story of Israel and sustain a movement of Christians who will bless and stand with the Jewish people. Our vision is to change the global conversation about Israel and build bridges of hope and healing between Jews and Christians worldwide.

https://cbnisrael.org/2021/01/18/out-of-the-depths/

Sunday, April 4, 2021

THE FIERY FURNACE - God’s ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts. His Word tells us that His plans give us a hope and a future. Sometimes we are not able to control our circumstances or our future. We know that this world and its woes are temporary for us. We know that nothing will happen to us that God won’t give us grace to walk through. We know that when we are too tired to go on, He will personally carry us with tender strength. - Is it just me, or does it seem to you that more and more people are being diagnosed with debilitating or life-threatening illnesses? In the last year, I’ve had close friends diagnosed with breast cancer, melanoma, fibromyalgia, prostate cancer, and lymphoma. Some have survived extreme medical treatments and are recovering; some are still battling for their lives; some have been healed. Affected friends struggle to keep their families intact and their lives balanced. They strive to maintain dignity and hope in circumstances that try to rob them of both. The words, "Why, God?" passed my lips more than once, but God didn’t reveal any pat answers to me. God’s ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts. His Word tells us that His plans give us a hope and a future. King Nebuchadnezzar dictated that everyone in the land worship a 90-foot gold statue or be thrown into a blazing furnace. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were young Jewish men who worshipped God and God alone. They would not worship the idol.

The Fiery Furnace

We know that nothing will happen to us that God won’t give us grace to walk through

God’s ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts. His Word tells us that His plans give us a hope and a future. Sometimes we are not able to control our circumstances or our future.

We know that this world and its woes are temporary for us. We know that when we are too tired to go on, He will personally carry us with tender strength.

Terry Meeuwsen

Is it just me, or does it seem to you that more and more people are being diagnosed with debilitating or life-threatening illnesses?

In the last year, I’ve had close friends diagnosed with breast cancer, melanoma, fibromyalgia, prostate cancer, and lymphoma.

Some have survived extreme medical treatments and are recovering; some are still battling for their lives; some have been healed.

Affected friends struggle to keep their families intact and their lives balanced. They strive to maintain dignity and hope in circumstances that try to rob them of both.

The words, "Why, God?" passed my lips more than once, but God didn’t reveal any pat answers to me.

God’s ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts. His Word tells us that His plans give us a hope and a future.

King Nebuchadnezzar dictated that everyone in the land worship a 90-foot gold statue or be thrown into a blazing furnace.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were young Jewish men who worshipped God and God alone.

They would not worship the idol. Furious, the king ordered that the furnace be heated seven times hotter than usual.

It was so hot that the raging fire consumed the men who bound them and threw them into the furnace.

Just before being thrown in, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego spoke to the king:

“O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matt. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” Daniel 3:16-18 (NKJV)

Sometimes we are not able to control our circumstances or our future. We know that this world and its woes are temporary for us.

We know that nothing will happen to us that God won’t give us grace to walk through.

We know that when we are too tired to go on, He will personally carry us with tender strength.

O God, we know that You are able to save us and rescue us.

We are asking You to heal us for Your glory.

But even if You don’t we will serve You and You alone.

As we walk through this fire, conform us to You.

Strengthen our bodies and our spirits and stay close to us in the darkness.

Can God change your life?

God has made it possible for you to know Him and experience an amazing change in your own life. Discover how you can find peace with God.

You can also send us your prayer requests.

We encourage users who wish to comment on our material to do so through our CBN Facebook page.

Terry Meeuwsen was born and raised in the Green Bay area of Wisconsin, where she grew up the oldest of four siblings. Gifted from a young age, Terry developed her God-given vocal talent, eventually joining the New Christy Minstrels for two years before turning her attention to a larger stage. Terry was crowned Miss America 1973 and she used her new platform to share her faith.

Winning the Miss America crown helped Terry launch a career in broadcasting that would ultimately bring her to the Christian Broadcasting Network. Since 1993, Terry has been the warm, engaging personality greeting The 700 Club guests on weekday mornings. Serving as co-host with Pat and Gordon Robertson, the trio has shared the love of God with millions of viewers from the CBN studios in Virginia Beach, VA over the last 23 years.

Terry is also an accomplished author, with four titles to her name, including The God Adventure, a story of God’s power and purpose in her life.

A lifelong advocate for children, Terry and her husband Andy are the parents of seven, including five adopted children. It was this passion for adoption that led Terry to launch Orphan’s Promise in 2006. Orphan’s Promise is CBN’s ministry to children around the world; it recently celebrated 10 years of taking vulnerable children from at-risk to thriving.

To find out more about Orphan’s Promise, visit OrphansPromise.org.

https://www1.cbn.com/devotions/fiery-furnace

You might also like: