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We have all been through some very difficult times of testing at different points of our lives. Each one of us has had our special tests, and as a result, had special opportunities to be strengthened in our faith and walk with the Lord. Maybe you’re still in the midst of battle and you’re feeling weary and wondering what good all of this testing is doing, and you’re wondering when this is all going to stop.
But no matter what is going on in your life, the Lord wants you to know that He loves you, He cares; everything is in His hands. Whatever He allows to come into your life will somehow work together for your good. And though you can’t see it now, you will be able to see it in the future. Can you believe this?
Maybe you’ve suffered a heartbreak in a relationship recently, and you feel broken, crushed, alone, insecure, and unlovable. The unfailing love of Jesus is there for you even through your darkest and loneliest nights, and He can help you have faith in love once again. He won’t leave your heart and life broken; even if it’s shattered in a million pieces, He’s able to find and gather each piece‚ to make you complete, and make something beautiful of your life.
Jesus understands it all. Even if no one else understands how your heart is aching, He truly understands. It may take time for the hurt you are experiencing to heal, but it willheal because He has promised that He will not leave us comfortless.1 He wants to comfort us through everything that we experience. He’s touched with the feeling of our infirmities‚ and He understands.2 He will ease your burdens. He will soothe the pain. He will answer your prayers. You will see the sunshine again one day soon, so don’t give up in despair, but talk to your Best Friend and let Him give you the comfort that you need.
Maybe you feel overworked or overloaded right now; you feel that you just can’t keep up with the pressure of all that there is to do. If you’re feeling worn out spiritually, physically, mentally, or all three, remember Jesus’ promise, “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”3
When the Lord asks you to do something and it’s very difficult for you‚ you may be tempted to think, “That’s too hard, Lord; I’m not capable of that,” or “I don’t have the physical or mental or emotional or spiritual talents and capabilities”—but we have to believe that if the Lord asks us to do it, then He’s going to make it possible. So you have to go ahead by faith and just do it. You put yourself out on a limb, saw it off‚ and see Him catch you.
It might seem impossible to do everything that is on your plate, and it is, and that’s why you just have to ask the Lord for His strength and guidance as to what to do and what to leave undone. If the burden becomes too much for you to bear, talk to Jesus about it and ask Him for the solution. He will show you how to pace yourself. He’ll tell you when you need to stop for a while and just pray, or read His Word, or meditate, or take some downtime away from work when you just enjoy life and your family and loved ones.
Maybe you’re discouraged about your efforts in your service for the Lord and the apparent lack of fruit‚ or you’re discouraged about your personal spiritual progress, feeling that you aren’t doing enough or growing in your relationship with the Lord. In times like this, you can know that the Lord is helping you to build endurance, and that if you patiently persevere and do the will of God, you will receive the promise.4
Maybe you’ve landed in a temporary situation where you seem to be getting stuck for a long time, or you simply can’t find a place, a job, a home, or a calling or career that seems right for you. Please don’t despair, because Jesus is preparing a place for you—not only a place in heaven, but a place on earth here and now. Remember too that God doesn’t make mistakes, and if He has seen fit to place you somewhere, it may be that where you are right now is the best place for you to be for this time and for His purposes.
God’s great men and women didn’t look for the places of service that suited them, but rather for what they could do for others. They looked for the need and they were honored to be chosen to fill that need. They were visionaries who believed that they could make a difference in the world, and they set out to make that difference‚ and many of them achieved their goal because they didn’t give up.
I recently read something that I thought did a good job of describing the character of the visionary.
People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered. Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
The biggest people with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest people with the smallest minds. Think big anyway.
People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs. Fight for some underdogs anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.
—From The Paradoxical Commandments by Dr. Kent Keith
Doing the right thing anyway, in spite of opposition or your own feelings, is the making of great men and women; it’s the path to success. And when you walk His road, He won’t fail to take care of you and your children. He’ll meet all your needs. You can count on His promises.
The Lord has promised to supply all your needs according to His riches in glory,5 and He’s promised to strengthen you out of His unlimited resources with power through His Spirit in your inner being.6 We know that He will never fail to do so as we keep trusting Him and claiming His promises!
He is going to take care of you, no matter what! And one day you’re going to be so thankful that He brought you through each and every thing you experienced in this earth life and gave you the grace to be faithful to Him and to love others.
Thank you for being faithful to the calling the Lord has given you in spite of the difficulties. He will not fail to give you everything you need to fulfill His will for your life.
Originally published October 2005. Adapted and republished May 2016. Read by Debra Lee.
2 Hebrews 4:15.
3 Matthew 11:28.
4 Hebrews 10:36.
5 Philippians 4:19.
6 Ephesians 3:16.
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