I want to begin this morning by taking you to two other passages of Scripture. The first is found in Isaiah 41 and verse 10, which reads as follows:
“Fear thou not; for I am with you. Be not dismayed; for I am your God. I will strengthen you; yea, I will help you; I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness.”
The second is found in Psalm 37: verses 39 and 40:
“… the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their strength in the time of trouble. And the LORD shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, And save them, because they trust in Him.”
Of course, we never get into trouble, do we? We have life all figured out … right!
I’m sure some of you are probably laughing at those statements, with your inside voice. A pause for a second and a simple reality check reveals just the opposite. We are constantly in some sort of trouble.
Understanding that fact, we can certainly understand basics when we say that God is our ever present help in time of trouble. Having said that, we are soon to discover that, that statement does not mean that God will always be there to bail us out when we get out of line.
Before I go any further, maybe we should take a brief look at that word “trouble.”
Webster’s Dictionary defines trouble as distress, affliction, danger, or need. It goes on to define it as pain, disease or malfunction; the cause of confusion, to inconvenience or bother.
Throughout Scripture we can find story after story of individuals who, some by their own devices got into plenty of trouble.
We can go all the way back to the beginning. Adam and Eve for example; Cain when his offering was unsatisfactory and he killed his brother Abel; Abraham when he lied about his wife to a king; the Israelites … again; David; Elisha; Job … oh, poor Job; and so on throughout the Old Testament.
In the New Testament we can think of Peter and his temperament; Thomas and his questioning; Ananias and Sapphira; Stephen and his stoning; Paul and his thorn in his side as well as persecution … and so on.
If we take any amount of time to look at some of these case studies, we would discover that God often uses trouble to shape, grow and discipline. That refining of pure gold metaphor again.
We know from many studies that have been conducted over the years that our early life experiences, both good and bad, influence who we are today. Those experiences shape the beginning of our self esteem.
In addition, that shaping process can also help inform us of and shape our relationship with God. He can and does use trouble as a form of refinement.
Let me pause and redirect for just a moment though, just to clarify one important fact. Even though I just said God uses trouble to refine us, He does not always use trouble to shape us. If we are in tune with His will for our lives, He also uses blessing to transform us.
With that reference, I am reminded of the story of Job. Satan asked permission to attack Job, his family and his possessions. God granted the permission on the condition that Satan did not touch his life.
We know what happened next, if you have any familiarity with the story. His friends gathered around him and tried to convince him that his experiences were because of some sin in his life and he should just curse God and die. But Job held through to the end. Certainly he cried out to and complained to God, but he remained true to his faith.
In the end, God rewarded him for his faithfulness. He remained faithful and God remained faithful to him.
Unfortunately though, more often than not, it seems that it is only in times of great distress or trouble that we choose to seek the face of God. Not only do we need to be careful with that, but we must also warn others.
We have been so greatly blessed in this great nation of ours that we have become apathetic to the Gospel. We have become apathetic to mankind’s need for a Savior.
We have become apathetic to the fact that God can be … wants to be … and is … our ever present help in time of trouble. We get in a mindset that we can work it all out for ourselves. We like to think we are rough and tough and mean and we can tough it out. Some will say – ‘Who needs God’
You know what God says to that? ‘knock yourself out … and when you have run out of steam and need my help … I will be there and will help you in time of trouble.’
If I was a betting man, I would bet that’s what the Psalmist had in his heart when he penned these words:
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.”
If Psalm 23 was our only proof of God’s help and readiness to help, that would be good, but there is more.
How about Psalm 121, which offers this very poignant text:
“I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He … shall neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night. The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore.”
Do you think the Psalmist was convinced of God’s ever present help in time of trouble? Most definitely he was.
Consider Paul in Acts 26 when he was preaching to King Agrippa, who was ‘almost persuaded to become a Christian.” He said to Agrippa in verse 22 – “having obtained help from God, to this day I stand.”
And what did Christ promise in John 14:16? He said “… He will give you another Helper that He may abide with you forever.”
Jude, verses 24 and 25 – “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, Who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.”
Or as Christ said to His disciples in Matthew 28 – “lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
God is ready, willing and able to be your help during your time of trouble.
So don’t be afraid … Don’t be dismayed … God will strengthen you when you feel the weakest. Isaiah 41:13 –“ I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.”
We need to look at trouble as opportunity for God to provide a bridge to carry us over the trouble.
Hebrews 12:1 and 2 says – “lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith …” Where is your focus this morning.
I want to close then by offering six principles for getting help in our times of personal trouble and struggle.
1. Claim all the promises of God's help personally. Psalm 91:1 says - He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Spend time praying and asking the Lord for His help in our troubles. No problem is too small for God. He loves to hear us call upon His name.
2. Fear the Lord and keep His commandments. We are tempted to resort to worry, panic or human intervention when we encounter trouble. Go to the Lord first. The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 34 - "Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions grow weak and hungry but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing."
3. Obey God even when you feel uncertain about it. Jesus referenced that concept in Matthew 7 with the parable of the two men who built a house … one on sand … the other on a rock. Habitual obedience gives special roots that will hold firm when others are blown away.
4. Know that God is always ready to calm the storm. Think of the disciples on the Sea of Galilee with Christ sleeping in the boat. He allowed them to learn from this by testing their problem solving abilities. He is always with you and He will never desert you. Yet, He will let you go through life's storms to develop your faith.
5. Remember that each day has enough troubles of its own. Don’t make it any worse than it already is and do not try to second guess God. Keep your priorities straight. Matthew 6 reads - "seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you.” AND …
6. Avoid the temptation to cave in during times of persecution. Some of the worst persecution will come from the people that you least expect. As Paul wrote to the Christians in Ephesus. Here are some excerpts from that passage in Ephesians 6 – “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil … take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand … praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication”
(Pray)
