God's Presence: Staying the Course in Hard Times

Sunday Sermon: You Just Gotta Say it: What Does God want You to Speak over a Situation? and Sunday School with Bro. Larry

There are many things that effect the anointing and presence of God in our lives. Last week we talked about "coming close" by developing a habit of taking time with the Lord. There is a lot more to say on that subject and we'll continue to explore it in coming weeks. My sister- in -law and I were talking this week about the anointing and presence of God in the midst of hard times. That conversation got me thinking about how staying the course increases the presence of God in a persons life.

The Presence of God in hard times.
Believers do not escape hard times...we go through them with the help of our Savior. Attitude is important to our outcome. God desires good for His children and He is not the author of confusion or things that bring pain. Yet in this fallen world we do see and experience painful events. We have two choices when faced with a trial. We can blame God and run turncoat....or we can seek His wisdom through the pain and allow Him to lead us through to safety. Some would say that loving God is a crutch to the weak hearted....the Bibles description would be that such a person reveals strength of character and faithfulness.

Stay the course
Sometime ago my husband and I attended our niece Sarah's wedding. I'll never forget the time of invited prayer at the end. There was and older pastors wife who was praying near me. We were never introduced and I don't even know her name...but her spirit spoke volumes to me. Stay the course...things happen...both happy and sad...but remember God is by your side and He will never leave you or forsake you. It sounds trite I know. Yet if you find yourself near such a person...someone who has stayed the course through good times and bad...through trials that seem insurmountable....you feel something different in their presence. A power, a strength that you can't explain. What is it?

Hard times can take us to the throne room.
Hard times or trials drive us to the throne room for wisdom and direction. They chip away at wrong attitudes and reveal the master's handiwork upon our life. It reminds me of the potters wheel story in the Bible. The clay being hard in the master's hand and its need to be softened, the spinning and shaping of the clay upon the wheel, the painted design, and the firing and final touches. In the throne room we find the comfort of His right hand upon our life. The place of refuge is found in the "cleft of the rock" or the secret place where we meet the Lord…the place where we are protected from the storms that the enemy desires to use to destroy us...the place where we are protected by His faithful hand.

Hard times can bring our focus to a walk of Dependence upon God .
It is in the hard times that we remember that we cannot do "it" on our own. I don't know about you, but I'll freely admit that I've gone through seasons where my attitude was, "I've got this all figured out". Thing is although the Lord wants us to use the gifting He has placed within us... His plan is that in these seasons of life we come to the point where we say like Moses...."I don't want to make a step without your presence Lord".

His Presence
Yes, we "Come Close" through time spent with Jesus. Make time this week to soak in His presence (you don't have to copy anyone else’s method)....also take time to ponder what it means to stay the course in hard times...times of decision, times of wonderment, times of pain, times of economic trial, times of national uncertainty, and times of unsettledness of any sort. Staying the course because you love and trust Him brings His presence powerfully in your life.