Just believe...

    To be honest, I struggled to find something to share this week. I wanted something different but could not put my finger on exactly what I wanted to share. While searching through material, a song kept playing in my mind, “Better” sung by Jessica Reedy. The chorus simply says:
    Life it can leave you so bitter, bitter, bitter, bitter
    But you must believe that it gets
    Better, better, better, better…
Many of us can relate to those lyrics. I have shared a number of testimonies from people who have faced tragic circumstances. They could have easily chosen to be bitter and thus consumed by their situation. But, from the moment they made the choice to turn to God and cry out to Him for help, He did not disappoint them. For those of us who have made that choice also, we can relate. 
    I feel sometimes like I have exhausted the story of David in the Bible but I guess I love the way he consistently chose to turn to God even in the most difficult of circumstances. When he and his men returned to their home in Ziklag, they discovered that the Amalekites had invaded it and burned it with fire. As if that was not enough, they had taken captive their wives and children. David’s men wanted to stone him, blaming him for what had happened, as they grieved for their families. David too was grieving but he also chose to encourage himself in the Lord. Bitterness I am sure was rampant among them that day and it was understandable. But, David trusted in his God and turned to Him asking what they should do. The Lord, in turn, instructed him to go after their enemies and He promised that they would recover all that they had lost. And they did. (1 Samuel 30:1-19)
    David’s hope was in his God. He could have allowed himself to be consumed with bitterness and anguish of spirit, just like his men. But he did not. He turned to his Hope, the only One whom he knew would have the answer and God did not fail him or his men with him.
    Life can certainly move us to bitterness and frustration of spirit. We can be motivated to give up and simply allow negative circumstances to dictate our destiny. But it’s at these times that God wants us to trust Him more than ever, when things seem as if they would never turn around. As the rest of the chorus states:
    It’s alright dry your eyes
    Send a prayer to the sky
    I know it’s hard to fight
    But you must believe that it gets better.
It’s about having hope, not in yourself or in your ability, but in a God who is able to do what seems impossible to you. It’s about believing that when you connect with God in prayer, He will hear and He will answer. The answer may not come as quickly as you would like or even in the way that you would like, but it will come. God is faithful.
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God is truly faithful. He will never leave us nor forsake us when we are down. He is and will always be a present help in trouble. Trust Him to deliver, trust Him to turn things around, trust Him to do what he desires and is able to do for you. 

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