2005-11-26 - Hassles Do Come to an End!

Psalm 13, Introduction

Do you ever have one of those days, weeks, months, years, when it seems as if nothing can go right? You get up in the morning and spill your coffee on your freshly cleaned shirt. You go into the garage and find someone left the car door open all night, and your battery is dead. After finally getting out on the road, some turkey in a dirt truck cuts you off, and a piece of gravel flies off and dings the windshield on your new car.

Then there's the real stuff. Your job doesn't pay enough to support your family adequately. You look at the bills, and the medical expenses are higher than anything other than your house payment. Every time your turn around, the money goes out faster than it comes in. You finally get an increase in your income, and a whole bunch of new expenses turn up on your desk. Or as they say: "two steps forward and three steps back."

Finally, we look around us at a fallen world, and it seems that circumstances go from bad to worse. And yes, there is some truth in this perspective, but if this is all we see, then we don't see the complete picture. If we constantly focus on the problems of life, then we miss out the reality of the joy, the hope, and the confidence available to all who claim the name of Christ.

Our hope should not be in a change in circumstances. It is a hope grounded in the depth of our relationship with a loving Father, and the confidence that comes from knowing who He is, and that He loves us.

Then again, if things are going smoothly, and life seems quiet at the moment, we will realize this also in enhanced by an ongoing focus on the Lord. Then in the midst of the calm, we won't forget it was Jesus who stilled the storm.

1. Looking at People: Verses 1-4
2. Looking at God: Verses 5-6
3. Conclusion

To be continued.

Comments or Questions?
Geoff

GKragen@cfdevotionals.org
http://www.cfdevotionals.org