War.. Hardships.. But!!!

[Ebn Barbara]

The Lord didn’t promise us that during our life on this earth we will not be exposed to wars, trials, and hardships of all kinds, on the contrary, He previously told us in many passages of the bible, that we will be exposed to hardships, wars and persecutions.. But!!!

Furthermore, the Lord asked His disciples to consider the cost before walking with Him, and He told us that the road is bumpy and difficult, as He also told us that in the world we shall have tribulation… But!!!

We also ought to know that we live in a world that lies under the sway of the wicked one
(1 John 5:19), and that the ruler of this world is Satan (John 14:30)… But!!!

I wanted to start my meditation by declaring those biblical truths, because a lot of believers get depressed and draw back, while others blame God when they face various kinds of trials, hardships, wars or even God’s dealings that are aiming to purify us, because they believe that this cannot happen to believers.. And this is a huge mistake.. For these reasons we need to put matters back in their proper place and learn how to face these difficult things when we are exposed to them so they don’t swallow us, hurt us and take us out from the battle field, on the contrary we have to pass through hardships, whatever their reasons, trusting that the Lord is always with us, He doesn’t abandon us, but He strengthens us, fortifies us, saves us and makes us get out of them victorious and purified, glowing like gold after it is purified in the fire, and become ready for the Lord to use us in any area.

Our meditation will focus on this wonderful word “But”, or similar expressions such as “yet”, “however”, or “because” which appeared many times in the word of God, especially in the book of Psalms.

I will also quote many verses, so the word will be firmly established in us, like the apostle Paul commanded us:
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:16), let us simply meditate on it, trusting the Holy Spirit to accompany us and teach us the lesson He has for us, and lift our faith.

The word says:
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all” (Psalm 34:19).

“Many a time they have afflicted me from my youth; Yet they have not prevailed against me… The Lord is righteous; He has cut in pieces the cords of the wicked.” (Psalm 129:2-4).

“You pushed me violently, that I might fall, But the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation.” (Psalm 118:13-14).
As we previously mentioned, the believer is exposed to many difficulties, especially the faithful believer, who work in the field of the Lord, he will certainly be exposed to wars, hardships and persecutions… and this is what these verses mention to us..
Tribulations, calamities and hardships… harsh bondages that you inherited from your family are pressuring you, and this is what the writer of the psalm meant when he said: they have afflicted me from my youth, maybe you lived a difficult childhood, or you lived for a long time in slavery, and you still suffer from cruel bondages.. or maybe just as the third verse is saying you were pushed violently to make you fall, and the reasons for this push are many… “But”..
This great word comes to give us the faith and the help in the midst of trials and difficulties.
But they will not prevail against you..
But the Lord will help you..
But the Lord will deliver you from every evil..

Is there anyone who is waiting for you and wants to hurt you? And you are afraid from this situation?
Examine with me the following passages:
“The wicked have drawn the sword And have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, To slay those who are of upright conduct. But their sword shall enter their own heart, And their bows shall be broken… The wicked watches the righteous, And seeks to slay him. But The Lord will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged” (Psalm 37:14-33).

“Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, From the rebellion of the workers of iniquity, Who sharpen their tongue like a sword, And bend their bows to shoot their arrows –bitter words, that they may shoot in secret at the blameless; Suddenly they shoot at him and do not fear. They encourage themselves in an evil matter; They talk of laying snares secretly; They say, ‘Who will see them?’ They devise iniquities: ‘We have perfected a shrewd scheme.’ Both the inward thought and the heart of man are deep. But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; Suddenly they shall be wounded. So He will make them stumble over their own tongue; All who see them shall flee away. All men shall fear, And shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider His doing.” (Psalm 64:2-9).

Do you suffer from anxiety and fear and do you believe that God has abandoned you?
Examine these passages with me:
“How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and hear me, O Lord my God; Enlighten my eyes, Lest I sleep the sleep of death; Lest my enemy say, ‘I have prevailed against him’; Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved. But I have trusted in Your mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, Because He has dealt bountifully with me.” (Psalm 13).

“When my father and my mother forsake me, Then the Lord will take care of me”
(Psalm 27:10).

Are you having a hard time in the ministry you have, and things are mixed up around you? Never mind, you’re not the only one to whom this happened..
Meditate with me on what the apostle Paul says:
“For indeed, when we came to Macedonia, our bodies had to rest, but we were troubled on every side. Outside were conflicts, inside were fears. Nevertheless God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus” (2 Corinthians 7:5-6).

“We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9).

And is there a danger of death on you? Or on any of your loved ones?
Examine with me these verses:
“While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live.’” (Matthew 9:18).

“Yet I considered it necessary to send you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, but your messenger and the one who ministered to my need; since he was longing for you all, and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. For indeed he was sick almost unto death; but God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.” (Philippians 2:25-27).

Do you work a lot for the Lord, do you give a lot for the sake of the kingdom, and don’t see yourself appreciated and think nobody cares about you?
Meditate these verses with me:
“Then I said, ‘I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and in vain; Yet surely my just reward is with the Lord, And my work is with my God.’” (Isaiah 49:4).

Are you going through a testing period or purification, and your strength is weakened and you feel you have failed?
Examine these passages with me:
“For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined. You brought us into the net; You laid affliction on our backs. You have caused men to ride over our heads; We went through fire and through water; But You brought us out to rich fulfillment.” (Psalm 66:10-12).

“You, who have shown me great and severe troubles, Shall revive me again, And bring me up again from the depths of the earth. You shall increase my greatness, And comfort me on every side.” (Psalm 71:20-21).

You may also tell me: all or most of the situations and circumstances surrounding me are difficult.. I suffer from all that you described to me.. there is news of wars and threatening as it is happening in these days, the economic situation is difficult.. many things are putting pressure at the same time.. and there is total confusion..

Again it’s all right.. Meditate with me on this psalm:
“In the Lord I put my trust; How can you say to my soul, ‘Flee as a bird to your mountain’? For look! The wicked bend their bow, They make ready their arrow on the string, That they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart. If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do? The Lord is in His holy temple, The Lord’s throne is in heaven” (Psalm 11:1-4).
The writer of this psalm is David.. and he’s asking himself how you can tell him to run to the mountains, while he’s relying on the Lord.. How do you threaten him with the wicked and their bows..
For even if all the foundations are destroyed.. or all the pillars are upside down..
Don’t forget O beloved.. Don’t forget O people of God.. Don’t forget O believers..
The Lord is on the throne.. He is holding everything with His mighty right hand.. He is our Father.. He will never abandon us..
Even if we are confused.. or the darkness is surrounding us, and we cannot see our way, and everything is black and overcast.. the Lord is not like that.. He doesn’t get confused.. He doesn’t get perplexed.. He knows how to get His godly people out of their trial.. and to Him belong escapes from death..
And the word says: “Indeed, the darkness shall not hide, from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You.” (Psalm 139:12).
Again it’s David.. and he knows exactly that darkness shall not hide from the Lord.. the darkness and the light are both the same for Him..
Don’t be afraid.. don’t panic.. don’t think that matters are out of control.. for He is controlling everything..
Confess all the difficult things that you are going through: hardships, wars, fears, worries, anxiety, financial difficulty, sickness, difficult sins, old bondages, sadness, depression.. and the like..
Yes.. do not deny their presence.. rather after your confession.. do not stop there.. because the faith does not deny the difficulty of the situation and the circumstance rather it changes them.. this is why you should get armed with this mighty word.. and say to the Lord:
All the foundations are trembling, and darkness is surrounding most of my matters.. But..
repeat all the verses we mentioned.. and you will see how the Lord honors your faith.. and changes all the circumstances, seasons, and times for you.. and how you will see again the rising sun after the darkness..

Dear beloved: faith is a Law.. and this is what the word of God says:
“… by the law of faith” (Romans 3:27).
We shouldn’t break the law, for if we break it we will bear the punishment for that.. just like breaking any other law..
For if you break the law of gravity you will fall and hurt yourself.. and if you break the law of general health principals you will get sick.. and if you break any law the government has put you will pay the price..
Likewise, we shouldn’t break the law of faith or the law of trust that ties us to God..
It is the language we have to use to converse with the Lord..
“But without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Hebrews 11:6).
And the one who doesn’t have faith, let him look at the author of faith and ask Him, because He will give him generously and without measure..

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17).
When we are always preoccupied by the word of God, and we have a continuous fellowship with it, through reading the bible, or listening to sermons, or reading spiritual books… we will find that the Holy Spirit is always working in us, so that faith lives constantly in our heart, and when we face any circumstance we find faith ready in our heart, as long as we don’t have sins that we welcome, and don’t resist and as long as we confess them to the Lord.. and with that faith we will face these circumstances..
And we shall say to them:
Yes I am facing hardship.. I am threatened.. there are symptoms of sickness.. and there is.. and there is…
And we close our speech with this great word we learned today:
But..
My God is on the throne.. all my days are in His hands.. He keeps me like the pupil of His eye.. He fights for me.. He heals me.. He takes me to the vastness.. He satisfies all my needs.. and He.. and He… So, get off me Satan..

And you will see how all your circumstances will change.. you will see life beautiful again, shining and enjoyable.. darkness will go and all the difficult things you suffered from with it.. To our God all the glory!!!