In those moments of suffering, in those moments of weakness, when we have failed, when nothing is going right, when everything is falling apart and we have had about all we can stand, this is when we finally travail in prayer. We are no longer going through the motions. This is when it all gets real. This is when we cry out, oh God, where are you? Oh God, I need you now! Oh God, don’t you see? This is when push comes to shove. This is when we are brought to our knees in desperation. This is when we pray like we have never prayed before. This is when we remind God of His promises to us.

It is at moments like these God breaks through in powerful ways as He did for David, time and time again. It is at these moments when He lifts us up out of the miry clay, out of the quicksand we are sinking in, out of the hot mess we find ourselves in.

At those moments of weakness, when your strength is gone, or when you feel ill equipped for the task and you feel it is too big for you, our Lord breaks through as we call on Him, as we trust Him.  He promises to be our strength, our helper, our comforter, our covering, our healer. He promises to be our ever-present help in time of need. Never doubt the Lord is there, the Lord is working, even when He seems silent at times. Just trust Him. Just trust.

Sometimes we have to be brought low or put in uncomfortable positions to exercise this truth. Remember in your weakness, in your struggle, there is always purpose. He wouldn’t allow it unless to fulfill His purposes on earth. He wouldn’t allow it unless to make us more like Him. Jesus Himself, our Lord was brought low, but rose victoriously in glory, in victory. Trust the master plan when walking through the fire. Trust the heart of God. God is love. Pure love. That love never changes. You can count on it. He is rooting for you. He is cheering you on. He is praying for you! He is in control. His plans must come to pass. His Word will be fulfilled. 

As His children, our final destination is to live with Him, the God of the universe, the Almighty, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, creator of all things. Keep your eyes on the prize. This life is a testing ground. He wants us to choose Him, choose holiness and righteousness. 

Sadly, even in the millennial rein, with Jesus Christ Himself ruling and reining from His throne on earth, with Satan bound in chains, many will still not choose Him in their hearts. How can that be? Those that reject Jesus in that final testing ground will be as the sand of the sea, the Bible tells us. How can it be? How can it be! This proves the sin nature, and its pervasiveness in our genome. How wretched we are apart from the Lord! Without Him, without the Holy Spirit, without being born again, we are truly without hope.

The Lord does everything He can to persuade us to turn to Him, to choose Him, to turn back to Him. If it takes calamity, sometimes, He will allow it. Throughout the Old Testament, the Lord is warning Israel of judgement through the prophets. He gave the fallen, those in rebellion, the idol worshipers, chance after chance to turn back to Him, to forsake their idols, to clean up their lives, to remember Him… to remember Him. Sometimes when we have it too good, we take the Lord for granted and the only way for us to remember Him again is through suffering. 

Never doubt the love and patience of the Lord, but there comes a time for righteous judgment. Before the flood, the Lord gave the people of earth 100 years to repent, to turn from their evil ways. What did they do? They mocked Him! They cursed Him. They continued in their evil ways. Sounds a lot like the day we are living in, doesn’t it? 

Remember the recent Olympics opening ceremony? The blatant mockery and blasphemy of Jesus Christ during that global event. The whole world was witness to this evil. God will not be mocked on a global stage like that without consequence. Judgment will come for the wicked. The door of the ark will be closed again by the hand of God. 

Times are changing. Times are escalating. Events are happening all over the world that point to the days we are heading into. Let the Holy Spirit do His good work in and through us. Let us not hinder or quench Him. May we be willing and available. It will all be worth it in the end. We will be caught up to meet our King in the air and transformed into our glorified bodies. Keep your lamp filled. Choose Him. Be wise. Be ready to meet Him face to face... be ready!