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Throughout our whole lives there are things that happen that cause us to feel desperate, alone or confused. Sometimes
it can be the slightest change to what has always been the norm, or something that everyone else thinks is small, but it throws
our whole life out of whack. Those things arent small to God. God doesnt see the size of our problems as an issue, but He
does see our problems. Psalm 10:14 says, But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The
victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. One of the most amazing things about God is that even
though He is far above us and made this whole world, He still comes to us intimately and personally. He is the hope of the
whole earth... and the hope of every individual in it. It can be hard sometimes to remain strong and be in faith when we feel
like were sinking and there is no hope, but God is there. Hope is there. How reassuring to finally believe that God knows
exactly whats going on in our lives from every angle. No one else in the world can see what goes on inside us when we go through
difficult times, but God knows us better than we even know ourselves! There is no one else who we can trust like Him or who
will thoroughly understand like Him. Where we lack, He fills the gap. Not only is He there and able to be our strength (and
He really is our strength!), but as the Psalmist wrote, we commit ourselves and our problems to Him; we keep holding onto
Him. He is our hope in every circumstance, big or small and therefore when things happen and we find ourselves in desperation,
we need to run to God right away, even when we dont think its going to make any difference or we are too upset. Its like being
a child who gets a splinter and rather than going to their father who can tenderly and effectively remove it, stands looking
at their wound not able to do anything. We go to Him and throw ourselves in utter dependancy on Him and believe that His strong
fatherly hand will deal with whatever needs to be dealt with. God is more than able; He is loving, trustworthy and strong.
These are not just poetic, emotional words, God really does provide joy, strength, forgiveness and hope every day as His right
hand upholds us. We are His children and He loves us so much. We can stand firm as He guards us in the hope He provides.
Skillet
do: Examine your life and point out any areas where you're trusting in
yourself and striving in your own efforts, where
worry and stress are dominating. Take that focus off of yourself and what you can or can't do and focus on the God through
which all things are possible. Read some of your favorite Bible stories, such as the accounts of David and Goliath, Moses
parting the Red Sea, or Joshua at the Battle of Jericho-- and let's not forget the ENTIRE book of Acts! Remember while you're
reading these incredible accounts that the God who has made them so incredible is the same God that you are priveleged to
know and serve today. Awesome!
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