Text: Joshua 1:9 (NKJV) “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
Paul encourages us in Romans 5:1-5 (CSB) that we are a people of HOPE. Listen to God’s Word – “Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have also obtained access through him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Emphasis added).
The circumstances around us can be frightening. They can be discouraging. They can be confusing. We may be overwhelmed. However, as Children of God, He wants us to trust Him. He wants us to have courage, faith, and HOPE.
So, how can we have hope when everything looks hopeless? In the midst of suffering, we can rejoice because these challenges cause us to do three very important things. We should be doing these daily, but we tend to forget.
As we continue to consider how in the midst of the world upheaval we can be bearers of hope to both ourselves and others we said that the first thing we need to do is Rely on God’s Presence. Today we will consider that the next thing we must remember is to Rely on God’s Provision.
In 2 Corinthians 12:7 (CSB), Paul reveals that he has suffered from a “thorn in the flesh.” “Therefore, so that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to torment me so that I would not exalt myself.” There are many ideas of what this “thorn” was, but God left it vague so that we can put our circumstances in this lesson. It can apply to our situation today.
In that case, God was so concerned about Paul not becoming proud he allowed this to happen to him to prevent him from becoming conceited. In our current situation, God is saying to us that his grace is sufficient, and even when we feel weak, he is making us stronger than we have ever been. We must live every day – not by our feelings but by the facts. And the facts are that God has provided us with everything we need.
We need to grasp the understanding that His grace is not an abstract idea. It is the person of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit. The hell the world is going through may be the very circumstance God uses to take us to a whole new level. Yesterday we saw that the Light is Jesus. Today, see that all we need is Jesus. Are you seeing a pattern in what God is showing us? We have God’s Presence and God’s Provision. And they are both Jesus.
This chaos didn’t start in a day, nor will the fear and panic stop in a day. As His Ambassadors to this world, we are being called about being the voice of reason, peace, and calmness. We need to be bearers of the Good News that we can Rely on God’s Presence even in the “shadows.” We must remember that we have the provision of God. And, both of these areas are Jesus. How can we be sure? Remember that we determine his love based on the Cross and what He did for us on it.
Grace is not an Abstract idea, it is a person, and that person is Jesus.
Join me in daily praying for God to intervene in this situation and bring out His purpose and plan for us and mankind. And now share with everyone you see that even in the shadow, we can rely on His Presence – the Light – and God’s full Provision – Jesus.
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