When Life Sometimes Seem So Hard, There Is Hope

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life..." - Psalm 23:6.

There are times when a really terrible crisis comes into the lives of faithful believers and followers of our Lord Jesus Christ. Recently I have been praying for dear friends who, as a couple, have sacrificed much to serve God in a small town set in a sort of spiritual wilderness. As they struggle with this crisis, they are hurting so badly that they do not even want to talk about their pain with many of the people of God has placed around them and I am sure they have reasons for this.

They probably might insist they know the Bible verses already and prefer that we do not burden them further by reminding them or trying to teach them stuff they have known for decades. Even if this is so, I am convinced that there is only good when we listen to God's Word again for it can refresh itself in our hearts. Even in the middle of our pain, God is watching over us.

"Surely your goodness ... will pursue me" - King David is not saying 'surely only good things will happen to me' because he knew as well as anyone else that bad things happen to good people. This is something even all of us here in Seremban know about or have experienced ourselves. I believe not a few of you in our congregation here in WFA have endured some deep personal pain or loss.

Actually, David's main point is that God's goodness will surely follow after him. No matter how painful, evil, difficult or bad something seems, God can always work it out for good - and in these circumstances He often gives us a vital role to play in how things turn out. The Bible uses other persons like Job, Ruth and Esther to reinforce the fact of God's promise for the good of His people.

Another one of God's wonderful promises He has given to everyone of us is that we know everything that happens to us is working for our good - if we love God and are called according to His purposes (Romans 8:28). If you are a believer, the Bible says all things work together for good - not that all things are good - but that all the things happening around us work together for good. By this, we know that God is always in control and that He loves us, and desires that all things happen for our good.

There will never be any hardship, sickness, pain, dilemma, loss or disaster in the life of a believer that God cannot ultimately turn toward His good purpose. We only need to look to Jesus, trust Him in our hears and stand firm on His promises. When we go through a personal crisis, we also often need to reach out to others or let our brethren reach out to us with God's love for God Himself lives in the hearts of His people.