Navigating Faith in Times of Despair

Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Jerusalem

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is a highlight of any tour of the Holy Lands. It is a huge and beautiful church that encompasses the place where Jesus was crucified, buried and rose from the grave. Several tour groups are inside the church at a time. Shoulder to shoulder, inching along, I listened to the guide on the little radio and did not know when I began to follow the wrong group. Then I heard my name from the other side of the church. I had been lost and didn’t know it, but God was looking out for me. “I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them” (Isaiah 42:16). This experience proves to me that God is always with me, leading me along His paths, protecting me.

God’s Purpose for the Lost

God has always intended to bring His light and His presence into our lives. “He demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). There was a time in my life when I chose my own self-indulgent ways over God’s ways. I didn’t think I was lost, but my ways led me to a place of loneliness and despair. I didn’t know how to fix my situation and was ready to give up, but I knew enough to cry out to God. He was faithful to me even when I had been unfaithful to Him.

Friend, if you feel angry, confused, anxious or desperate, it is not too late to call out to God for help. He will meet you at your greatest point of need, the need to know Him. You can experience His amazing love and presence. He loves you and does not want you to feel afraid or defeated. I hope you call on Him today. He never sleeps or slumbers. He is always available and ready to help you in your time of need.

Prayer

Holy Father, I pray that you rescue people in their dark situations, their times of trouble, whatever they are. I pray they come to know your love and your presence with them. I pray they come to know you in a personal way. In Jesus’ powerful and precious name, Amen.

Five Religious Myths Debunked

Photo by Erik Mclean on Pexels.com

1. If I live right, I will avoid suffering. If that were true, good people would not suffer, and we would recognize the evil in our world. Paul pleaded with God three times to take away his thorn in the flesh (how he referred to his pain). God didn’t take it away. He said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). This verse gives me more than hope through suffering; it encourages me that when I feel inadequate, God is strong. He picks me up when I get to the end of me and accomplishes more in me than I imagined.
2. My pain doesn’t compare to the suffering of others. That sounds like God doesn’t care about what you are going through. That is not true. He said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” (Joshua 1:5) and “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). These verses are my lifeline for whenever I go through troubling times.
3. Pain is the result of disobedience. Many people today do not pay attention to God’s ways so they unknowingly disobey Him or disregard Him on purpose. Not all of them suffer pain. They go on with their lives as if nothing is wrong. Health and wealth are not measures of obedience. They could be here today and gone tomorrow. The result of disobedience is sin, and the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Unchecked disobedience is separation from God.
4. There is always a silver lining. It seems like a fairy tale to believe our suffering leads to a silver lining. Perhaps that is a misunderstanding of, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). Over the years I have seen how God uses even the difficult things in my life for His purposes. I have even grown thankful for the times I experienced loneliness and despair because they are what drove me to Jesus. Only in Jesus can we hope for a better ending.
5. God will love me if I am good. God loves the whole world so much He gave His only son so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but experience salvation from the ways of the world (my paraphrase of John 3:16). “God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Friend, if you have not experienced God’s amazing love, call on His name, the name of Jesus, and you will know His presence, His love. He has prepared a way for you – a way where there seemed to be no way. Rejoice!

Prayer

Thank you, Lord, for Jesus your beloved Son. He is Faithful and True. Thank you for loving us and setting us free to experience abundant life, even today. Thank you that we don’t have to wait til we get to Heaven. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Good News for Today

This is a national park in Cappadocia, Turkey. Peter wrote to the early church that lived in this part of Turkey when he said, “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9).

A Holy Nation

God promised He would make Abraham, Isaac and Jacob into a holy nation, and that nation has grown all these years to be the largest of nations today, a holy nation of more than 2.6 billion believers, which includes an increase of 44 million since this time last year in 2022. Friend, this is incredible news! It’s answered prayer for all who pray for revival in our world. We are a transformed people, a family of God connected by a bond of peace under the banner of God’s amazing love. “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

The Witness

Because of Peter’s work two thousand years ago, many became believers. His ministry and letters to the churches in Asia Minor are recorded in the Bible for us to read and learn how we might apply the truth to our lives and ministries. Maybe we are not all preachers like Peter, but we can be witnesses to what God has done for us.

Prayer

Blessed are you O Lord, King of the universe, empower us to speak the truth boldly in what we say and do. In Jesus’ name, Amen.