How do we respond when we encounter adversity? When things don’t seem to be going in our favor, do we thank the Lord for His righteousness or do we cry out, “why me”? Our trust in the Lord isn’t about in situations we feel we can control, but how we behave when things are clearly out of control. The truth is nothing much is in our control at all and the things we do have in control, God requests that we turn control over to Him since it’s better that way.
In Psalm 34 David talks about praising God and boasting in the Lord when he is downtrodden, persecuted, and at the point of giving up. But instead of giving in, he praises God and trust Him and His plan. He recognizes God’s sovereignty and goodness and relies on it not only for encouragement but also sustainment. How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! Maybe we don’t feel like God can give us refuge. David experienced it first-hand. He found himself in trouble and he cried out to the Lord.
He talks about keeping yourself from being stained by the world and responding to adversity the way the world does: cursing, plotting, planning, and trying to save yourself. This is the prideful way of dealing with difficult situations. Yet God says, “I got this, just give me the reigns of your life and you will see.”
Are you brokenhearted and crushed in spirit today? Do you need help, faith, encouragement, or something else? You can’t deliver yourself, but God can and will.
