Stuff Happens

Everyone who is born of this earth, at one point or another, is going to face hardship. It’s a natural part of life. Stuff happens. During these times it can be difficult to know what to do. Emotions get in the way. We can get so sad, lost, or confused that we are not even sure what to pray. And the last thing we would ever think of doing is to praise God for our hardship.

Image courtesy of: Miks Latvis

Scripture:
“And Saul approved of their killing him. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.” – Acts 8:1

Observation/Application:  
Studying the scripture is key to building our faith, getting close to our God, and letting his glory be revealed in everything that we face in life. When we look at today’s scripture we see the situation where great trouble broke out against the church during that time. And everyone had to scatter so that they would not be killed. Talk about facing rough times and trouble! That certainly helps put our worries about today into perspective.

But God has his hand in it all along. As a result of everyone being scattered, the Word of God was shared in towns all around the world. I wouldn’t be surprised if the believers of that time felt some pain or confusion about why God would let something like this happen to them. They may have resisted in the flesh. On the surface it was an inconvenience, and caused them some personal discomfort. It was not what they had planned.

And when God moves, it might be confusing to us. It may cause us some personal discomfort, causing us to resist what God is trying to do. But if God’s hand is on it, if it is His Will, nothing is going to change what is going to happen. We may not understand the why during the time. But we always understand the why after. We must remember that it is His Will that is done, and that might not always be our will.

The key to making it through these difficult times is to draw closer than ever to God. We can do this through prayer, and reading of the scripture, and by praising God during both the good times and the bad. When we grow in our relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ, we can be confident knowing that God will always have our backs. If God is for us, then nothing can be against us.

It may seem dark at the moment. But it’s always darkest before the dawn.

Image courtesy of: Infomastern

When the persecution arose, and the disciples were scattered, God’s glory was magnified as the Word of God spread across the world, bringing countless numbers of believers to our Lord Jesus Christ. This would have not happened unless persecution broke out and they were forced to be scattered.

As we face challenging situations in our home, at work, in our relationships, or with our health, let us be confident knowing that what the enemy intends for harm, God turns around and uses for good. Let us draw even closer to our Lord knowing that His glory will be magnified.

Prayer:
Dear heavenly Father, thank you for your Word today. Draw us close to you, and lead us through whatever challenges that we might be facing. Guide our every step, our every word, our every thought. Let your ways be our ways. Be near us all throughout the day. Let us walk in your presence Lord. We fully surrender to you. We trust in you. Let your Will be done. We give you all the honor and glory, in Jesus mighty name. Amen.

Photo By Miks Latvis

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