Divine Presence In Times Of Trouble

DIVINE PRESENCE IN TIMES OF TROUBLE

Study Text: Psalms 91:14 - 16

Introduction:

- One of the greatest promises and assurances given by God to His people is His presence with them in times of trouble.

- The secret of receiving God's attention and protective care in times of trouble is a heart that is intimately attached to the Lord in gratitude and affection.

- God knows who such believers are, and:

a. He will be with them in times of trouble.

b. He will answer their prayers whenever they prayed.

c. He will give them lives full of His divine presence and provisions. John 15: 5-7.

- We shall be discussing the topic under three subheadings:

1. The Promise of Divine Presence

2. The Prerequisite for Divine Presence

3. The Products of Divine Presence

1. The Promise of Divine Presence

- The Scripture is full of the promises of the presence of God with His people at various situations and conditions.

a. God promised to be with His people at all times till the end of the world, as they go about preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom to the lost world. Matthew 28:18-20.

- Jesus is presently with us in the person of the Holy Spirit and through His word. No matter what your condition is: weak, poor, humble, apparently unimportant, and so on.

- He cares for you, watches with concern every details of life's trials and struggles, and gives both the grace that is sufficient and His presence to lead you home.

- This is the Christian answer to every fear, every doubt, every trouble, every heartache and every discouragement.

b. God promised to be with His people whenever they gather in His name. Matthew 18:18-20.

- This is always the case whenever the people of God gather in prayer and in worship. Even when we cannot feel anything strange, we can have the assurance of His presence, because He cannot fail His promises.

c. God promised to be with His people at difficult situations and times of trouble. Isaiah 43: 1- 2.

- When we pass through trouble and affliction, we will not be destroyed for He is with us. We are precious and honoured in His sight because we are objects of His great love.

- These promises only apply to those who are the children of God through faith in Christ. God has created and redeemed us, we belong to Him and He knows each one of us by name.

- His promises are reliable and cannot fail, as long as we are willing to fulfill His words and meet the conditions.

2. The Prerequisite for Divine Presence

- From our text, three things are expected from us before we can be qualify to enjoy the divine presence:

a. To set our love upon Him,

b. To know His name,

c. To call upon Him

- For God to give attention to us and move on our behalf, we must love Him with all our hearts. Proverbs 8:17.

- Nobody can love God, unless he or she first knows Him. 1 Corinthians 8:3

- Knowing God is very deep. It is not just knowing about Him, but knowing Him intimately and living for Him ultimately. 2 Corinthians 5:15.

- The journey to knowing Him begins at our salvation, as we willingly and truly surrender our lives to Him and receive Him as our Lord and personal Saviour.

Our love for God is evident in our sanctification and obedience to His words. Titus1:16, 1John 2:5.

- Our love for God entails our love for our brethren and for everyone around us. 1 John 4:7-8.

- Our love for God also involve our commitment and faithfulness in His service and as vessels unto honour in His hands. John 21: 15-17.

- The other prerequisite apart from knowing Him and loving Him, is to call upon Him in prayer.

- The time of trouble is not the time to be crying or murmuring, but a time to call upon God in prayer. Jeremiah 33:3.

- We are encouraged to bring all matters that should cause us fears and worries to God in prayer and thanksgiving. Philippians 4: 6-7.

3. The Products of Divine Presence.

- In our study text, we have a summary of the outcome of the presence of God with us in the time of trouble. He will show us His salvation and satisfy us with long life.

- There are several blessings that flows out of the presence of God with a man:

1. Victory over the enemy.

- The enemy cannot prevail over our lives no matter how much or how well they tried, if the presence of God abide with us.

- We saw the example of how Harman failed to his own destruction despite every effort and strategy put in place to destroy Mordecai. Esther 7:9-10.