EVER PRESENT
WHEN WE FIND OURSELVES IN DIFFICULT
CIRCUMSTANCES, when our world is shaken and it seems like everything is falling apart, we might be tempted to think that God has abandoned us. But when we call out to the Lord, we find that this is not the case. He has promised to be with us even in the middle of disaster.
We know that there will be difficult times in our lives, but God promises to be our shelter from the storm. I have often been comforted by the words of the psalmist David, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). We can avail ourselves of His continual presence and power in our lives.
When you come to Christ, it is the beginning of a whole new life! He is with us, and He wants to help us follow Him and His Word. In ourselves we do not have the strength that we need to live the way God wants us to live. But when we turn to Him, we discover that “it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13 NIV).
I have never regretted a single day after receiving Jesus as my Savior. My life has become richer and fuller in every way. I am no longer alone. He fills me with joy.
There are moments when we feel like God has deserted us, but He is still with us as we go through difficult times. Jesus promised: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. … I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18, 20).
I am reminded of a preacher who was also a carpenter. He built the family’s house with his own hands. George A. Young humbly served the Lord on a meager salary. Tragically, while he was away holding meetings in another area, some vandals burned the house down.
Instead of blaming God for not preventing this misfortune, Young never lost his faith in the Lord. It is out of this tragedy that he wrote the hymn that continues to bless us to this day.
God leads His dear children along…
Some through the waters, some through the flood, Some through the fire, but all through the blood; Some through great sorrow, but God gives a song, In the night season and all the day long.—George A. Young (1903)