Trouble Never Gets the Last Word
Howdy there! Well now, friend, look at you strollin’ up to this ol’ front porch like a welcome summer breeze. Well, land sakes, I’m mighty glad you came by because this porch has been hopin’ for good company all mornin’. Come on up here, pull up a comfy rocker and git settled in because we’re about to enjoy the kind of visit that makes the day feel lighter than a lil’ ol’ spotted fawn skippin’ through tall grass.
Most folks want adversity gone from their lives quicker than an ol’ barnyard rooster runnin’ from a hungry ol’ prowlin’ coyote. But adversity is plum one of God’s best teachin’ tools. It downright shapes us, steadies us, and prepares us for what He has ahead. Today we’re sittin’ with 2 Corinthians 4:17, “For our present troubles are small and will not last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever.” And Psalm 94:19 says, “When doubts filled my mind, Your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.” Friend, that there’s God’s way of sayin, “Trouble may rattle your porch railin’, but My comfort will steady your heart.”
Sometimes we try to make sense of every hard thing, connectin’ the dots like we’re drawin’ some kind of a treasure map. But God ain’t always sketchin’ a straight line. Sometimes He’s paintin’ a picture we can’t see yet. Joseph learned that when he told his brothers in Genesis 50:20, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good.” And even when we can’t see the outcome, Romans 8:28 stands firm sayin’, “God works all things together for good for those who love Him.” Trouble may roar like a moody ol’ bobcat, but God can turn it into somethin’ that strengthens your soul and brings glory to Him in the doin’, too.
Friend, our country may be facin’ all kinds of adversities right now, but revival has a way of sproutin’ up in the cracks left behind by hardship. God has done it before. He sho’-nuff can do it all over again. So, we gotta keep on prayin’, keep on trustin’, and keep right on walkin’ real steady with our eyes and hearts focused on Him.
Father, teach me to trust You when trouble comes. Help me see Your hand at work even when I cannot see the outcome. Strengthen my faith, steady my heart, and let Your comfort lift me like morning light. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Well now, friend, as you journey away from this here porch and git to makin’ your way back into the rest of your day, go on out there like a peaceful ol’ river beaver that finally found a quiet bend worth claimin’ as his own. Let God’s good promises be guidin’ you like a bright lantern glowin’ across the darkness. Let hope be risin’ up in you like warm sunlight spillin’ over a mountain ridge in the early mornin’. And remember, trouble may git to stompin’ around real loud, but it never gets to unpack its bags and hang around very long when God is the One leadin’ your steps.
With joy,
Gwen
