When Tough Times Come

"Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied." (Acts 9:31)

There are times when life on this earth is hard and uncomfortable...and even downright painful. When those times come, you deeply need the comfort that only the Holy Spirit can bring.
How do you receive that kind of comfort?

By doing just what the believers in Acts did. By "walking in the fear of the Lord."

Now, when I talk about "the fear of the Lord," please understand, I'm not saying you should be afraid of God. He's your Father! You should be as secure and unafraid when you come before Him as a child who knows he is dearly loved. But you must also have so much respect for Him that whenever He reveals something you need to do, you do it immediately-- even if it goes against your natural desires. That's walking in the fear of the Lord.

Let me show you what I mean. Once, several years ago, I received a very disturbing phone call shortly before I was to preach at one of our meetings. It was painful news about a situation in which one of my children had been wronged. The news of it wounded my heart.

I cried, and in the natural, I wanted to get angry about it, to strike back in some way. But instead, I began praying in other tongues. As I prayed, I was prompted in my spirit to rejoice and praise the Lord.

I certainly didn't feel like praising. I felt like stomping my foot. But, out of respect to the Lord, I put my feelings aside and obeyed. Next, the Holy Spirit impressed me to read a particular prophecy. As I did, I could tell I was being strengthened.

Then suddenly, I realized I was free. By my obedience, I had opened myself to the comforting power of the Holy Spirit. The anger and pain that had filled me just moments before were gone! They had been replaced by the gentle love and reassurance of the Lord.

No matter how tough or painful a situation you may be facing today, trust and obey the directions of your Father. He will make that same supernatural, Holy Spirit-inspired comfort available to you!

Scripture Reading: Matthew 4:1-11

The God of Hope

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

I was on the phone an hour with Ray. His wife had contacted me, distraught that he was depressed and had been lying in bed since he broke his neck. Ray was a former pastor and probably knew more scripture than I did. When he didn't respond after an hour, I took a different tact. "Did you see the movie The Shawshank Redemption?" 

He seemed surprised at my question. "Remember when Andy DuPhrane said to his fellow prisoner, 'Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies... so get busy living, or get busy dying.'" Ray was quiet for a long moment then said softly, "Hope is a good thing." From then on, he got busy living.

It's amazing how far we can go on a little bit of hope. Hope means "I know I can make it!" The source of all hope is none other than Jesus Christ. Titus 2:13 says, "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." (KJV). 

No wonder today's verse tells us to trust in "the God of hope." From the Lord alone flows all joy and peace. I saw hope overflow in Ray's life when he and his wife finally came to one of our Family Retreats. There they were, passing on hope to others!

Hope happens when we gently point people to Jesus, whether through a few encouraging words, a scripture in a note card, or just spending an hour on the phone together. Today, nudge people toward "the Blessed Hope," the Lord Jesus.

Father, because you are the God of Hope, I have assurance that I can make it through the toughest of times. Help me to pass on your hope to a hurting friend today.

Blessings,

Joni and Friends

www.joniandfriends.org

Joni and Friends Daily Devotional