We all have those times when we want to hit the "SOS" key on our keyboard. Wouldn't it be great if the worst we had to look forward to was a computer glitch, or "user error," or frustration over level 65 of Candy Crush? Oh, if life were only that easy! But in reality, life can hand us some pretty tough blows -- the loss of a job, the death of a child, bad news from the doctors, the break-up of a marriage, a false accusation that ruins an otherwise spotless reputation. . . The list goes on and on.
No one is immune from distress, so the best we can do is to be prepared for it BEFORE it comes. Imagine driving your car down a busy city street and seeing a distracted driver fail to stop for a red light. You don't have time in that split-second to put on your seat belt. That's why you put it on when you start your car, before you are even out of your driveway or the parking spot at the store. Don't you keep basic medications and first aid supplies on hand? We do that in preparation for the minor accidents or aches and pains we all have sooner or later.
So if we prepare for those minor distresses we might face any day of the week, why not prepare beforehand for the major, life shattering disasters that might be lurking around the next corner? Wouldn't it be best to prepare for them now?
So, you ask, "How do I do that?" God gives us the tools we will need when times of distress or even disaster come. Isaiah
35:3-5 says, “Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble
knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, ‘Be strong, fear
not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; He
will come and save you.’ Then the eyes of the blind shall be
opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.” Psalm 138:7 says, "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life. You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes; with your right hand you save me. And Proverbs 3:25-26 says, "Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the Lord will be at your side and will keep your foot from being snared." All of these verses confirm that we WILL face trouble, hardship, even danger. But they all assure us that we WILL NOT face them alone, and that God not only knows our situation, but goes through the rough times WITH us.
One of my favorite verses is Nehemiah 8:10, "The joy of the Lord is our strength." That joy is the kind of deep, enduring joy that will see you through any distress. And that joy, resulting in strength, is available to you. The more you get to know God, the deeper that joy and strength will grow. So begin now to get to know Him. Equip yourself now with the tools He provides. Then, when distress comes, choose to use the tools of truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation and God's word (the Bible), all of which produce joy, to get you through the storms of life.
This week, my prayer for you and for myself is taken from the 6th chapter of Ephesians (our names inserted in the parentheses):
(Help us to) be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. (To) put on the full armor of God, so that (we) can take (our) stand against the devil’s schemes. . . Therefore (remind us to) put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, (we) may be able to stand (our) ground, and after (we) have done everything, to stand. (Help us to) stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around (our) waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with (our) feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, (help us to) take up the shield of faith, with which (we) can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. (Enable us to) take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
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