Troubles never seem to come in ones, do they?
If only we only had to focus on one bad thing at a time, wouldn’t it all seem so much simpler? But they don’t.
Take January, 2021, for example. Wasn’t it enough that my mom died? Why did our province have to start stay-at-home orders just then to combat COVID? Why did our house guests, who were being incredibly helpful and supportive in the wake of the death, why did they suddenly have to pack up and leave for their home towns, leaving one of them exactly three days to actually find a new place to live? Why did the death leave me shackled with the need to go through and rehome all her belongings? Find a contractor to do the repairs? Find a realtor? Why did the estate need to go through probate, requiring me to find a lawyer? Why is that the precise moment that I was supposed to have a hemi-thyroidectomy to remove the risk of thyroid cancer? Why …
Of course that is just one example, and I could site you numerous others that have nothing to do with death. Take, for example, my bout with breast cancer 10 years ago. Why did it have to be coupled with a torn rotator cuff? Broken ribs? Muscle adhesions in my leg?
Well you get the picture. Troubles simply do not come in ones!
This is a Biblical concept, actually. Proverbs 24 tells us this: “The godly may trip seven times…” (vs. 16a NLT)! The world’s wisest man also knew that troubles aren’t usually singular in nature, but are usually numerous! Even up to seven together!
Fortunately for us, the verse doesn’t stop there. It goes on with a promise: “… but they will get up again…” (vs 16b NLT). That means that no matter how many troubles confront us all at the same time, we will not fall. We will not be broken. We will get up again! Halleluiah!
It is interesting to see that it is not the same for those who do not know the Lord. The last part of Vs. 16 says, “But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked.” (vs. 16c NLT)!
Why is it that the wicked are overthrown in the face of just one problem, why the righteous will get up again even after seven?
It is because the righteous have something the wicked do not have: The righteous have help!
“Give your burdens to the LORD, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.” (Ps. 55:22 NLT)
1 Peter 5:7 tells us the same thing, but in addition, it gives us the reason why we will not be permitted to slip and fall, but will get up again: “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” (1 Peter 5:7 NLT)
God cares! And that’s why He will take care of us.
But, you say, I do know the Lord, and despite that, I feel like I can’t go on! It’s just too much! Where is God now? Perhaps He doesn’t keep His promises after all!
There is just one caveat to all these promises. We must give our burdens to the Lord. He will not take them from us unless we freely give them. But when we surrender them to the Lord, then we open the door for His help, for the promise that no matter how many things hit us up at the same time, we will not be overthrown like the wicked, but we will get up again!
Why? Why can’t we bear them alone?
Proverbs 24:10 gives the answer: “If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small.”
We can’t go it alone because our strength is too small! God never intended us to be able to withstand problems on our own! After all, He knows that just one problem overwhelms those who don’t know Him! He knows we are not strong enough on our own, and He invites us to, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28 NLT).
Thus, one sure-fire way to know if you have truly surrendered your problems to God is that your strength will not be too small! He is your strength!
Are your troubles feeling a bit multiplied? Don’t fear. Surrender your burdens to God, trust Him to carry you through. Trust Him with the outcome and all the details along the way. When you do, you will know that your own strength is not too small, for He is your strength.
In His love,
Lyn
Lynona Gordon Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two adult boys, Author — “Aboard God’s Train — A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer”, Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, The Illustrator, a four-times-a-week internet newsletter, and the Sermon Illustrator website, all with Answers2Prayer Ministries.
