ICS Daily Devotions
Persecuted but Not Forsaken
Many of us will go through trials and tribulations at different stages of our lives but our stories will never be the same. We will be able to testify without reservation that God was and still is with us in the midst of our sufferings. His grace is sufficient for us. There are different kinds of suffering in this world but it is the same Lord who is always present with us during our times of anguish.
2 Corinthians 4:7-9,13-14 (NKJV) But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 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….And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak, knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you.
The Apostle Paul quoted from Psalm 116:10 (NKJV) which reads as ‘I believed, therefore I spoke, “I am greatly afflicted.”’ Psalm 116 is a prayer of those who were suffering terribly but they trusted in God and were delivered. Paul had the same conviction that God in His faithfulness and goodness, will be present in the midst of suffering and will deliver us. If we have this same conviction in our hearts, we will also speak forth what we believe. However, if we don’t have this conviction in our hearts, then we may speak of unpleasant things that are not edifying.
We can also choose not to go through unnecessary sufferings due to the work and lust of our flesh. The flesh is the sum of appetites that wants to live independent of God as a believer. We will make poor choices and spend time with the wrong company, and these will bring suffering! If our suffering is a result of reaping what we have sown in life, then we need to repent before God and walk in the same direction as God. We have to ensure that this is done and followed through, with or without deliverance from the Lord. The Lord is not mocked because a man reaps what he has sown. If we sow to the flesh, then we will of the flesh reap corruption but if we sow to the Spirit then we will reap everlasting life (Galatians 6:8). That is why we have been exhorted to walk in the Spirit!
There will be sufferings and tribulations as long as we are in our earthen vessels (i.e our bodies) because we live in a fallen and broken world. Unfortunately, we have this tendency to think that the universe revolves around us and everything is about us. We need to have a paradigm shift that God’s glory will be revealed when we exit from the suffering especially when He is with us throughout the entire process. He will get all the glory when we are delivered from the situation. We need to take heart that He has not left us nor forsaken us even though we might feel as though we are in the fight alone. God is present with us regardless of our feelings. He cannot deny Himself to be a faithful God. Therefore, we need to continue to speak from the conviction of our hearts as we go through the trials and tribulations on earth.
Sermon Series: I Believe Therefore I Speak
