Experiencing God's Presence #135

Experiencing God's Presence #135

The righteous person faces many troubles, but the LORD comes to the rescue each time.

Psalm 34:19

Some Christians emphasize the first half of this verse: “the righteous person faces many troubles.” And there are plenty of Scripture passages to back it up. In this world, we will have trials and experience pain. We live in a broken world, and suffering is a part of it. God doesn’t keep His people from difficulties. In fact, our faith often subjects us to more intense battles and temptations. Trials are a part of our lives.

Other Christians emphasize the second half of this verse: “the LORD comes to the rescue each time.” And there are plenty of Scripture passages to back this up too. God is our rescuer, our refuge, and our strength. He promises great successes and enables us to overcome great obstacles. Story after story in the Bible tells us of His power on our behalf. Victory is a part of our lives.

The problem is that those who emphasize the trials and troubles often live in defeat and never can really believe God for victory. And those who emphasize the victories often live in a state of denial about real human struggles and insist that faith always achieves predictable results. Neither emphasis is biblical, but a balance between them certainly is. The verse as a whole is the right perspective: we do face many trials, and God does deliver us from all of them in one way or another.

Whatever issue you face today—and we all face something at any given time—avoid a false emphasis. Don’t ask “why me?” as though something is wrong when God allows you to go through a difficulty; but don’t dwell in the difficulty as though God has no practical solution for it. He does—and He promises to rescue us every time.

Lord, I need Your rescue. You know I’ve been honest about my struggles, but You’re honest about Your promises. In the process I’m going through, I trust Your deliverance.