Tag Archives: Psalm 73:28

Trusting God through very hard times

God at Work (No Trespassing) Republished (In the Moments)

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Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6 NASB)

When I was younger, I had an idea of how I thought my life would turn out, or at least how I hoped it would. I expected good health, peaceful relationships and smooth circumstances. I figured things might turn out differently, but what I didn’t realize is how much I’d tied my sense of well being to how my life was going. As a result, when the inevitable, unexpected twists occurred, I found myself on shaky ground, searching for something lasting to fill my need for joy. Perhaps you can relate.

It’s a midspring morning. I take a sip of my favorite kind of coffee, strong and dark with a little bit of stevia and cream. I’m beginning to feel the sun’s warmth cutting through the new day coolness, but it’s not high enough to blaze over the leafy green canopy. There’s no break in the constant symphony of birds singing above and in the forest beyond.

I want to celebrate the new day with as much melodious joy as these birds, but I need to be sure I’m still trusting God in these unexpected paths my life has taken. I have no doubt He’s with me, but in one situation He’s erected a ‘God at Work’ sign and He wants me to honor it. He’ll invite me in when He’s ready. In the meantime, my job is ferocious prayer.

A neighbor, walking her dogs, sees me and walks down the driveway to chat. She asks about our new dog, Lily, rescued off the streets on Good Friday.

We talk about shade flowers and how my bride and I plan on adding some color to our water garden next to the porch.

When she leaves, I continue my preparation for the new day. Years ago, I would have denied the gravity of the very painful parts of life, feeling what I could, stuffing the rest and keeping on best I could. But now that I’m learning how to properly steward my feelings, I see how denying emotional pain desensitizes my heart and makes it hard for me to discern God’s nearness.

If I’m to truly rejoice with the birds, I need to rehearse the steps I believe God has given me to help me honor His ‘God at Work’ sign in this very hard situation.

  • Don’t try to pretend all is well. Acknowledge my life is different than I hoped. Accept the loss and feel the pain. Lord, I call You near in the depths of my grief. You’re the God of all Comfort. Sooth my pain with the Joy of Your presence.[1]Celebrate the fact that God has seen me through tough times and trust He will do it again in this situation. Lord, You’ve been so faithful through so many difficulties. Looking back, I certainly see how You’ve used these trials for me to give up trying to live life on my own and to trust You.[2] The eternal work You’ve done in my soul makes this very hard situation worth it. When it first began, I would have never thought this to be the case, but now my heart tells me it’s true. This very hard situation has strengthened me emotionally and spiritually to the point that it is actually worth it. Thank You Lord.
  • Catch myself in the act of feeling bad about what I can’t change. This is in the Lord’s hands. Decide to stop trying to figure things out. Lord, I trust You to invite me into this difficulty when You’re ready. I don’t want to thwart what You’re doing. In the meantime, I trust You’re at work in the lives of all involved in ways I may never understand.
  • Focus on the beautiful things on this side of the ‘God at Work’ sign. Even though this situation is one I never expected, it doesn’t make my life incomplete. It’s easy for me to feel like a failure, but in Christ, I am complete.[3] I died, and my life is now hidden with Christ in God.[4]  Lord, in You I’m okay, even if this situation is never resolved. I’m free to enjoy life’s moments with You in spite of, and in the midst of, any unexpected situation. 

But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; (Psalm 73:28a NASB)

Lord, my heart is ready to be glad. In you, I rejoice always, even when life takes a turn which threatens my sense of well being. Through it all, my eyes are on You. My faith is growing because of this hard reality in ways I would have never thought possible.  I draw closer to You every day because of it. I don’t need this situation to work out to be okay.

You are enough.

My life is oriented from things above where I’m seated with You. My comfort is not the most important thing. Please continue Your work while I wait.

Lord, as I walk into this new day, show me who You want to love through me. Complete my joy as I love others as You’ve loved me, abiding always in Your love.[5]

Yet those who wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.  (Isaiah 40:31 NASB)

Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures. Subscribe below to get email notifications of new posts. We post a few times a month. Thank you for reading. 

 Novels by the Author:

Beyond Time

Hope Remains

[1] II Corinthians 1:3-5

[2] II Corinthians 1:8-9

[3] Colossians 2:9-10

[4] Colossians 3:3

[5] John 15:9-12

God's Nearness

Lee has Cancer

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Life Long Friend

Lee and I grew up together on the same street. On summer days we’d hop on our bikes and pedal down to Shaw’s pharmacy and spend our allowance on baseball cards and fire balls. We played countless basketball games at each other’s court, swam at the community pool and played on the same little league team.

We endured our parent’s divorce during our formative years, leaving us both on shaky ground. Neither of our father’s had the capacity to help us navigate manhood, so we did the best we could. We tried to live good lives, but eventually followed our friends into experimenting with smoking and drinking. Once this began, the tide took us deeper into drugs and other misdeeds.

Lee quit high school and joined the army.  I went to college.

Searching for Joy

While in college, I pursued worldly pleasures I thought would bring me joy. I almost lost a scholarship my mother worked hard to secure. During fifty cent beer night, I was arrested for DUI. As I sat in jail, before my buddies bailed me out, I realized my life was on a downward trajectory. I knew I needed God, but didn’t know how to approach Him. My experience with ‘born again’ Christians seemed to be a life of joyless rules.

In the meantime, Lee was on a similar downward spiral. He landed in jail for drug possession in California. During the incident, he was introduced to Jesus Christ as a personal Savior, not a rule demanding kill joy. His life was truly changed and he couldn’t wait to tell me.

Lee’s Questions

One day, when Lee was on furlough and I was home for the weekend, he asked me, “Robby, do you think you’re going to heaven?

“Yea,” I replied.

“How do you know?”

“I believe in Jesus, like it says in the Bible,” I replied. “I haven’t killed anybody and I’ve lived a pretty good life.”

“But the Bible says you’ll know them by their fruit,” Lee responded.

This took me back. I certainly wasn’t living a life of good fruit.

“If you want joy.” Lee continued. “Your priorities need to be Jesus first, then others and finally yourself.”

“Lee, I’d need to clean my life up first before I could give my life to Jesus.”

“Do you take a bath before you take a shower?” he asked. “Jesus will accept a person exactly where they are.”

Life in Christ

My conversation with Lee was one of the primary seeds God used to bring me to my knees months later. In late summer of 1977, I admitted to the Lord I’d made a mess of my life. I accepted what He’d done on the cross on my behalf and received His life in exchange for my sin. I had no idea what to do next, but my life in Christ had begun.

Lee and I have remained close for almost 60 years now. We realize how rare our friendship is and we don’t take it for granted. It’s extremely comforting to have a bud who’s been in your life for as long as you can remember, especially when life gets hard.

Lee’s Cancer

I got a call from Lee last month informing me there is a lump on his chest. They’d be doing a biopsy soon to see if it’s cancerous. He seemed to be handling it well, but my heart sank. Not Lee. Lord, please not cancer.

The following week he found out he has breast cancer. He told me the plan is to be determined, but he didn’t want to waste this opportunity to magnify the Lord in this very difficult situation.

Lee’s Courage

Lee is one of my heroes. Not only did he care enough to share God’s good news with me, but he models what it looks like to care more about God’s glory than his own welfare.

Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain (Philippians 1:18b-21 NASB)

He’s fighting to realize and walk in the fact that his well-being is tied to his closeness to God, not in his circumstances.

But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works (Psalm 73:28 NASB).

 From Lee’s Journal:  3/5/19 – The early morning awakenings, these are the toughest and yet they bring the most solace. It doesn’t seem I get a lot but I do get a little, and yet I desire more but even then I know not what.

 My Prayer

Lord, I thank you for my friend Lee. I cherish his friendship over all these many years. In Christ, I have bold access to your throne. I know You’re able to heal Lee. Will You, please. Also, please honor his request to allow his cancer to glorify You. Use it to bring people closer to You. Draw near to Lee in the early morning hours when he needs to know You’re there. I pray these things in the faithful name of Jesus the Christ.

Novels by the Author:

Beyond Time

Hope Remains

A Firm Anchor for our Soul, Being okay in spite of great pain

Embracing God’s Greater Story Even in Our Pain

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Embracing God’s Greater Story

Embracing God’s greater story frees us from the arduous task of trying to keep our circumstances happy. Paul calls us to orient our lives around things above[1] and to set our affections on God’s greater purpose of summing up all things in Christ.[2] God doesn’t want to just rescue us from hell. He desires to make us whole by leading us to find our completeness in Christ alone.[3]

God wants far more for us than happy circumstances. He doesn’t want our feelings of well-being to be anchored to something we can lose. As my friend Dave Andes says, “I can assure you, God is not committed to your comfort.”

But giving up the idol of a happy life in exchange for a life built on God’s eternal purposes isn’t easy, especially when we’re in the midst of life’s pains.

Enduring Life’s Pains 

I have a friend who’s been through a host of medical problems. They’ve been through a procedure which left them with an irritating, painful reminder of their difficulties. Sometimes the symptoms can cause isolation and loneliness. They’re trying to fight, but sometimes the pain is overwhelmingly discouraging. Physical and emotional pain can rule the day. And who can blame them?

My friend’s situation is only one of countless examples of life not turning out as we’ve planned. The older we get, the more we realize certain aspects of our lives just aren’t going to turn out like we thought they would. Is anyone immune to the disappointments of life’s circumstances?

Chronic disease, separation from loved ones, divorce, lost jobs, financial disasters, loss of property, death. These unwelcomed “guests” spring upon us and threaten to capture our hearts. How do we prepare for such pain? How do we keep our disappointments from turning into daily discouragements?

God, Are You Listening?   

As long as we think our welfare is tied to our circumstances, our pain can drive us away from God, making matters far worse than any temporal difficulty.

In Psalm 73, Asaph was going through a pity party. Focused on his circumstances, he was bitter. He saw folks, he considered wicked, having good times. They prospered, eat all they wanted and lived lives free of trouble. It just wasn’t fair. Asaph had tried to live a good life, but it seemed that was in vain. Was God even noticing his efforts? Was He listening to his cries? If God cared about him, surely his life would have turned out better.

The Better Life 

Then Asaph came into the sanctuary of God.[4] He entered the Lord’s presence. When he did, he was given a glimpse of God’s greater story. His heart was changed.  He realized a better life is not about his circumstances, but about the nearness of God.

After this eternal gaze, Asaph wrote to God, Nevertheless I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand. With your council You will guide me, And afterwards receive me to glory. (Psalm 73:23-24 NASB)

‘Nevertheless’ is such a great word. All of our pains and disappointments can be swallowed up in the totality of this word. Regardless of it all, right now, we’re okay because God is with us. He takes hold of our right hand and leads us moment by moment. And when our temporal story is done, He receives us into His glory.

Eternal Shift 

Asaph may have needed to be reminded of God’s eternal work on his soul again the very next day. I know I need continual reminders. The temporal world is real. It’s where we feel. Just because there’s a greater story going on, doesn’t mean the here and now is less real.

Read carefully Asaph’s conclusions and mark them in your soul. Come back to them often. Live in these truths.

Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth (Psalm 73:25 NASB).

But as far me, the nearness of God is my good (Psalm 73:28 NASB);

Asaph came to the realization that nothing in heaven or on earth could complete him but God. Being with God became his good, his better life.

Walking in this truth, exposes the lie that we need anything but the Lord to be okay. Even in the midst of life’s disappointments, I can stay committed to something far greater than my own comfort.

Don’t Miss the Blessings  

Concerning my friend who was shallowed up in pain, I’ll quote, by permission, a challenge issued to them by another friend.

“If you read the Bible it’s full of people suffering. God never promised a life free of suffering, but He did promise He’ll be there though our suffering. Our choice is to accept this or not. Remember, we’re not in heaven yet. Don’t let the pain cause you to miss the blessings which are all around you.”

Challenge  

Think about a circumstance in your life which has caused you great pain. There may be some choices yet in your control concerning the situation. Make the next right choice.

But, even if this pain never ends, nevertheless, you’re okay because God is near, an Ever Present Help in times of trouble.[5]

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace.

(Refrain from the Hymn Turn your eyes upon Jesus by Helen H. Lemmel 1922)

[1] Colossians 3:1-2

[2] Ephesians 1:10

[3] Philippians 4:10-13, Colossians 2:10

[4] Psalm 73:17

[5] Psalm 46:1

Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures.

Subscribe below to get email notifications of new posts. We post a few times a month. Thank you for reading. 

 Novels by the Author:

Rob Buck

What happens when a professor figures out how to send messages to his younger self to try and avoid the suicide of his best friend? Did he change more than he bargained for?  Beyond Time

By finding two undelivered letters in a old shack deep in the woods, Cassie and Daniel unknowing set off a series of events which uncover a plot to wipe out a whole family Hope Remains

our Portion and Exceeding Joy, The Lord is all we need

The Lord is Our Portion, Our Exceeding Joy, Even When Life Crumbles.

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“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore, I have hope in Him.” Lamentations 3:24 (New American Standard Bible NASB)

Lamentations is not typically a section of scripture you might think of turning to for encouragement. Jeremiah, who wrote it, was known as the ‘weeping prophet’. However, I found myself in chapter 3 on a night I needed encouragement to find my spiritual footing.

In a whirlwind of holiday activities, I’d lost the sense of God’s nearness. My heart had latched on to the temporal again and I needed to be reminded the Lord Himself is my Exceeding Joy (Psalm 43:4.)

The chapter starts off gloomy; with descriptions of affliction, darkness, broken bones, bitterness, hardship, forgotten happiness, and rejected peace.

But in verses 22-24, hope is reignited:

  • The Lord’s lovingkindness never ends
  •  His compassions never fail, they’re new every morning
  • His faithfulness is great

Then I read, “The Lord is my portion”, says my soul, “Therefore I have hope in Him.” Lamentations 3:24 (NASB)

In spite of how he was feeling, Jeremiah found an anchor for his soul. In being reminded God is His portion, Jeremiah found hope in Him?

But what does this really mean?

The Lord is Our Portion

Is the Lord as our portion like a piece of Thanksgiving pie?

Not at all.

God is never just a part. When we have Him, we have Him all. And in Him, we are complete, filled to the brim, fully satisfied.

In spite of what goes on around us and in us, The Lord Himself is our full part, our share, our award.

God said to Abram, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.” Genesis 15:1 (NIV)

God, Our Very Great Reward. What else do we need? Even if we lose something very dear to us, we can be okay. We don’t lose hope. His nearness is our Good. (Psalm 73:28)

We always have our Pearl of Great Value, worthy of our all. (Matthew 13:45-46)

Challenge: What temporal trial has stolen your joy? What worldly condition must be good for you to be okay? Is there an area of your life which has crumpled? Like Jeremiah, do you feel darkness, affliction and desolation?

Through it all, the Lord is our Portion, our Possession, our Part. No matter what happens here, He remains. He is our All, whether we know it or not.  He wants our whole, surrendered hearts and He won’t relent until He has it. He doesn’t want us settling for happiness when we can have Him.

 Prayer: “God, I invite your searching gaze into my heart.
    Examine me through and through;
    find out everything that may be hidden within me.
    Put me to the test and sift through all my anxious cares.
 See if there is any path of pain I’m walking on,
    and lead me back to your glorious, everlasting ways—
    the path that brings me back to you.” Psalm 139:23-24 (TPT – The Passion Translation)