Troubles & Worries, But No Despair

Troubles & Worries, But No Despair Kelly Durant August 8, 2015

2 Corinthians 4:7-9

7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

2. Have you every screamed out loud, really cried out, to the Lord for help in distress? One time my wife and I were traveling between Bogota & Cucuta in our 1984 Ford Fairmont. (In our 14 years abroad we only owned a car for 2 years) There are many steep mountainous cliffs on the way there and no ledges to pull off onto and many crashes occur when one semi-truck passes another between the mountain and the cliffs. The problem is coming around the curving mountains you are blinded to never know when you will face 2 trucks head on head on with one passing another!

This very scenario happened to me and my wife and by a miracle a small edge appeared by the cliff side and we pulled over on it to break to a frightening stop as 2 trucks passed us on that pitch dark single lane road. My wife and I both cried out, “Jesus, Jesus save us!” Instead of going off the edge of a mountain we were saved! How could God time it so precise with that ledge to save us! God has saved us from death many times, actually! Thanks be to God we did not die of heart failure either!

A near death experience, a sudden fear, or an accident will drive you seek God! It is just a natural response to either cry out to God, or to curse God, depending on your heart’s condition! Many times bad things happen to good people and in the end only God knows why. All we can do is accept that God has a plan and obviously His will is being done even though we may not like it, agree with it, or understand it.

It is painfully hard, but we have to accept that we are just frail people in frail bodies living in a broken sinful world where many tragedies happen daily! Our bodies, and our spirits housed within them, are not of iron but of clay and they can break easily. But if we seek Him, God can be our strength keeping us together. 7 “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” The power we have to endure all our fragilities living in these jars made of clay comes from God! To Him is the glory forever!

3. Each one of us here have had times of troubles and despair and most everyone relates to King David’s clamors to God in the Psalms. Psalms 3:4 I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah. Have you ever yelled out to God for help? I have often!

The anguishes and pains we suffer in this life are very real and do hurt so much they often leave us with a scar. How many of you have scars on your bodies? What about a scar from a traumatic experience? Pain changes each of us! We either become close friends with God praying the whole time for hope and healing, or we may become embittered as those who have no faith, who curse God for allowing evil to happen to them or a loved one. I have met many bitter people in my life, and some of them have even been “so called” Christians. I hope you are not one of them here today! How sad, right? Here is a poem to reflect deeper …

THE SCAR by Kelly Durant

1-Writhen tissue

A deadened stain

Disfigured past

Evident pain

2-Nakedly exhibits

Itself indifferently

To the cringing, ill world

Indiscriminately

3-Exposed surface

Imbedded screams

Painted trauma

Recanting dreams

4-Cruelty left its mark

Let it be diminished

By the hope of God in

Surroundings unblemished

Cursing God gets no one anywhere! Job’s wife saw Job so miserable after losing his wealth, health, and family (who were killed by robbers) that she in Job 2:9 said this, “Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die!” If Job would have done that he would have died in despair, failure, and humiliated by Satan, but He answered her to the contrary. 10 But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.