Faith Trumps Circumstances Every Single Time

When I was little, my father worked off shore in the gulf. He would be gone for months at a time. Then he’d return and be off for about 30 days. Each time he left I knew he’d be back. I never once thought he’d never return to us. Sometimes we would really miss him and mother would pull out a letter he had written and we’d read it together. We found comfort in those messages of love. Even when there was a hurricane and he and his crew weren’t heard from during the storm, I just expected he’d return. He always came back and generally he was bearing gifts. I still have many of those presents to this day.

Have you ever gone through a time when it felt like your heavenly father was absent? You might not hear directly from Him and you might not see evidence of his presence for a long period of time. You may have even experienced a storm in your life when you felt that God was nowhere to be seen. You may feel that He has left you in the storm to go it alone.

Maybe you are going through such a quiet time right now. You know God. You’ve experienced His presence. You’ve trusted in His Word and you’ve walked in His precepts. But now you’re going through hard times and He appears silent. Will He return to save you? Will He come and intervene or will He stay gone until it’s all over? You may feel you have to do something for yourself or you have to take matters into your own hands. Is He gone and will He return? Does He care about our everyday troubles and situations? Is He simply an aloof God who leaves us to do our own plans and make our own decisions?

Oh beloved, you can be certain that God is always with you. Your circumstances might try to make you feel that He is gone from it all. Your feelings may cry out to you that you are totally alone and have to go through the waiting for help all by yourself. Faith trumps circumstances every single time. And by faith you know that God is an ever present help in time of need. You know by His Word that you have no reason to fear and no reason to doubt. You may think you have to make decisions on your own but God’s Word is His bond. He promises to see us through all our situations. He declares that your help is in the Name of the Lord. He vows His care and that those who dwell in His presence are guarded, protected and walked with through any situation. You only have to pull out His love letters in the Word of God and take them in as Truth for your heart to be steadied and your mind to be at rest. In the meantime you also have precious gifts He has given you such as peace, joy, comfort, faith, patience and perseverance. These gifts are meant to be enjoyed and used daily.

Unlike my father who really was gone at times, our Heavenly Father is never away. You can trust Him to see you through every single day of your life. Whether you feel His presence or not, you can know His presence is with you if you have put your trust in Christ. You may feel He is gone because you have done something wrong. That is when you confess your heart to Him knowing that He hears and forgives. Keep short accounts with Him and trust His mercy and grace. When He seems silent, your faith is growing because you do not trust the circumstances but you are learning to trust the Lord. Hang ever closer to God when things seem so quiet. Hold onto God’s Word when things seem so stormy. Trust in His Word, walk in His precepts and expect His help always. He loves you and He’s for you and that’s why you know He won’t abandon you or walk away for all of your life.

Psalm 37:3 Trust in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.

Psalm 9:10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, For You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.

Psalm 94:14 The LORD will not reject His people; He will not abandon His special possession. NLT

Psalm 91: 1-2 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord He is my refuge and my fortress. My God in whom I will trust!”

Psalm 119:14 You are my refuge and my shield; your word is my source of hope. NLT

Deuteronomy 31:8 The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.

Matthew 28:20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age

You Can Trust God When You're "Done"

Children’s Hospital was the location for two year old Caleb’s procedure last week.  They were not looking forward to him being put to sleep. It also concerned them because he has separation anxiety – he never wants to be away from his mother.  Diona said that after she told the nurses that, they brought Caleb a little pink medicine and sure enough it did the trick! He began to relax and no longer care what was going on. They wheeled him away on the gurney without incident and put him to sleep.

The procedure was done quickly and when he began waking up Diona and Eddie were able to go back to the recovery room.  They found Caleb trying to wake up. It took a few minutes but sure enough he got wide awake.  Then he began to attempt pulling out his iv and taking off the oxygen from his nose. Then he wanted loose from the oxygen monitor on his toe! He kept saying “socks” and “shoes”.  He repeatedly said “Done!” He was done with it and he was ready to leave.  “Done.”

Oh beloved, are you done? Are you tired of the situation and ready to just throw your hands up and say “Done”?  You’ve prayed, you’ve hoped, you’ve relaxed, you’ve recited Scripture and yet things are a tangled mess.  You’re tied up in knots and you’re ready to just walk away.  You feel you’ve given it enough time and now it’s just time to go. You’re disappointed, concerned and worn out. 

Run to the Word and drink freely of His Truth! It will calm your nerves, cure your fears and keep you hanging in there until the situation is over.  God says to you this morning that He can untie those knots and release you from the tangles if you’ll just give it all to Him. He says, I Know what you’re going through and I AM with you! While circumstances seem hopeless, with Me nothing is ever hopeless. 

Trust in the Lord and let Him love you to victory. He will go before you and lead you where you need to go. He will also keep you while you’re on the gurney of life! No separation anxiety with the Lord for He loves you and He’s always with you and that’s all that matters!

Psalm 40:3  He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the LORD.

Psalm 91:14  The LORD says, “I will rescue those who love Me. I will protect those who trust in My Name.

Psalm 59:9  You are my strength; I wait for you to rescue me, for you, O God, are my fortress.

Isaiah 30:18 So the LORD must wait for you to come to Him so He can show you His love and compassion. For the LORD is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for His help.

Jeremiah 14:22  Can any of the worthless foreign gods send us rain? Does it fall from the sky by itself? No, You are the one, O LORD our God! Only You can do such things. So we will wait for You to help us.