Right before success you face your worst opposition. Look at the Lord Jesus, He was facing death by on a cruel Roman cross, but resurrection is coming in 3 days. His resurrection makes the way for all sinners to receive eternal life, just as He promised. Now we can believe in Him for eternal life.
So don’t be down and don’t be low, hope is coming. People who invent things spend a lot of time in the drudgery of details until success comes.
God even uses people with little faith. Do we ever wonder why God put us in some situations? Well Gideon also wondered. Look at this Bible passage. Gideon almost gave up, until the Lord spoke to him. And after the Lord spoke, Gideon had trouble believing God.
Judges 6:13-14
And Gideon said to him, “Please, sir, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? ’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?”
Judges 6:16
And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.”
Multnomah Falls Oregon
Gideon still did not believe what God said, and so asked for a “sign”. The Jews also asked for a sign at the time of Jesus. Both situations were considered evil in the Lord’s eyes since they did not just take God at His word. But it’s hard to do that, and Gideon being a man of faith, well sort of a man of faith, really did not fully believe God’s word. So Gideon asked several times for a sign. Notice that God did not rebuke Gideon, but sort of went along with his crazy requests. So Gideon really did not have that much belief and faith in God, but God still used him just as he was.
In the New Testament The Lord Jesus put up with a lot of failures and unbelief from His disciples. He put up with Peter, Thomas and more. Well the point is, God puts up with us just the way we are, and still let’s us work with Him for His Kingdom.
A few of us humans encounter bumps and troubles in life. I think only about 99.9999 percent of humans experience bumps. Consider the Apostle Paul who encountered a few bumps in his life and ministry; look at Second Corinthians chapter one and chapter four.
The Dead Sea from the top of Masada, Israel
2 Cor 1:8 For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: 9 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:
2 Cor 4:7 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;
Masada Israel
Notice the two phrases in blue above. Paul trusted in God, not himself. Paul trusted in God’s power, not his strength.
God always wins and the Bible story has an encouraging happy ending. So God in His word, the Bible, the scriptures looks forward to the day where every evil thing is subdued on the earth. At that future time the earth is returned to the original creator and owner, which is God.
Spokane River – the Bible story has an encouraging happy ending
Revelation 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. 16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, 17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. This is a wonderful encouraging Bible verse.
Spokane River – God always wins
Purple Flower
When we or others cry, go through pain or disappointment, we have to remember God is here. God actually remembers all our tears and pain. Look at the Bible verse in Psalm 56:8 … you(God) know my wanderings: you(God) put my tears into your bottle: are they not in your book?
We may think God is remote or does not care, but He does. At the end of the Bible is a promise in Revelation 21:4 God will wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there will be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither will there be any more pain: for the former things are now passed away. There is also Psalm 34:18 “The Lord God is very close to the brokenhearted and saves everyone who is crushed in spirit.” God is always with us in our pain. Notice, the verse says the Lord is close to the brokenhearted. He is not far away, but right there and with us.
The morning time is the best time to connect with God in the Bible and prayer. Here is an encouraging Bible verse: Mark 1:35 Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. Jesus really liked the morning time for prayer and Bible reading.
John 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; See my blog God Feels Pain, Tears and Disappointment.
Cannon Beach Sunset
When we or others go through pain and disappointment, we have to remember God is here. We may think God is remote or does not care, but He does. Remember the promise at the end of the Bible – Revelation 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
And God actually remembers all our pain and tears. Look at Psalm 56:8 … thou know my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?
The there is Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” God is always with us in our pain. Notice, the verse says the Lord is close to the brokenhearted. He is not far away, but right there.