Trouble - Part 2
Scripture Reading - Psalms 107:26-28 KJV
26 They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end.
28 Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
Greetings fellow believer in the Mighty Name of Jesus today’s lesson will continue to speak on the subject of “Trouble”. In our previous lesson we spoke on being in “trouble” because of disobedience to God. This is the same thing as saying all people are in “trouble” when they are walking contrary to God’s Word. Yes, the “trouble” may not always be physical because mental problems are “troubling” just as much as financial problems can cause both mental and physical torment. Also, not being connected to God through Jesus Christ puts man in a state of “trouble” whether the person in darkness (unsaved) realizes it or not. When speaking about “Trouble – Part 2” we will discuss the very real problem of being in “trouble” and not knowing what to do. In today’s reference scripture we noticed in verse 26 that the people in “trouble” had soulish problems which seemed like their soul was melted. Melting indicates fire which implies that the additional heat deformed the shape of their soul into something more fluid and softer. Yes, a melted soul is not a strong soul that is solid and well defined. The melted soul will typically conform to the image (mode) around it which basically means it cannot withstand the attacks of the enemy. The result is a person who can’t stand up for God because they are already pushed down (suppressed) by the devil (the evil one). Then notice the very next verse which states, “they walk around in circles and even their walk is not upright but rather shaky and weak. This type of conduct proves they are at their wits’ end which basically means they don’t know what to do. Yes, it is very common to ask friends for help and not get the right solution. Yes, it is very common to ask those in authority over you for help and still not get the right answer to your problem. Yes, we don’t like having to say this but it is even sometimes possible to ask a minister of God for spiritual guidance and still not get the remedy for your specific situation. Why, is this so? Simply because men are limited on past and future information so they typically answer other men according to what they are thinking at the time of the question. God, on the other hand, knows everything and everyone so His counsel is always spot on and it takes into account your past, present, future and the effect on other people. Yes, the Wisdom of God may not always be orthodox but it will always get the job done because “trouble” means different things to different people. The key is finding the wisdom of God in line with the Word of God when you need it to deliver you from all “trouble”. Yes, we have been there as true (holy, righteous) children of God without willful disobedience to God’s Word and yet we found ourselves in “trouble”. For example, if you don’t understand the context of certain biblical teachings you could easily be in “trouble” without knowing what happened. We would preach about you but we won’t because some people don’t like that, therefore we will share our own shortcoming to help illustrate this point. On one occasion we were taught you can never out give God. At the time, we believed this statement to be true, so we gave away all the money we had from a sell of our house before moving out-of-state. We reasoned if we give to help God’s Kingdom, church or His people we are making a deposit in Heaven and when we need some money the Lord will certainly give it to us whenever we need it. However, when it became time to purchase a home in the other state we didn’t have any money in the bank. Thankfully, we knew Jesus Christ and started praying for an answer. Through His wisdom we were able to purchase the house with very little down and very little closing cost. Yes, we cried unto the Lord in our “trouble” and He saved us from our distresses. Not having a house can be a “troubling thing” when you have a family of four. We know some of you are wondering, “Why didn’t you get the money before closing? We’ll tell you because whatever helped us might just help another believer from making the same mistake. Although the statement you can’t out give God sounds good for sure but we learned that you are not in competition with God. Remember, God owns all things on the earth (and in Heaven) so it would be foolish thinking to reason that taking God’s money to give back to Him is doing something great by you. Of course no one on earth can out give God but since you are a steward over all God’s goods upon this earth it is never a matter of out giving God but rather how are you handling His (God’s) resources. Thus, we learned a valuable lesson to focus on balancing the God given resources we have to glorify God in our tithing, savings, offerings and giving to the poor. Yes, we tithe and yes we now save a portion too and then we give offering and give to the poor according to our ability. We had to learn the hard way one should never just focus on giving without regard to financial storage (rainy days or planned provision - savings). Yes, we were in “trouble” because we lacked specific knowledge in a certain area but once the Lord showed us what to do we were never in that type of trouble again unto the praise and glory of God. So if you find yourself in any type of “trouble” and you don’t know how you got there or what to do to get out. Please, by all means call upon the Name of The Lord Jesus and He with His rescue team will deliver you (and your family, if necessary) from all distress by alleviating all “trouble”. For whosoever shall call upon the Name of The Lord shall be saved (delivered from trouble) according to Romans 10:13. Amen!