Double Trouble

Now then, stand still and see this great thing the Lord is about to do before your eyes!  

-- 1 Samuel 12:16 

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

It's been about 2,000 years since Jesus' first disciples heard those great words of wisdom. And aren't they just as relevant and reassuring to His modern-day followers? Turn on the TV and just try to avoid the never-ending news stories about the economy, healthcare and unemployment. And let's not forget the shadows of nuclear proliferation, terrorism and even the re-emergence of piracy off of the African coast.

The point is that there's trouble everywhere. And there's no escape--even when your TV is off, the newspaper is folded and you've pushed yourself away from the Internet. For some people, trouble comes in the form of a job loss or layoff. For others, it's a chronic illness or the prospect of major surgery. Or maybe your trouble involves family or relationship issues such as a divorce or the loss of a loved one. The problems are many for every person on earth. And they're often significant.

Under such gloomy circumstances, it's good to know that we worship a God who is much greater than any natural disaster, economic difficulty or international dispute. Ours is a God who literally spoke the universe into creation, formed great mountain ranges with His hands and parted the seas with a breath.

"Is anything too hard for the Lord?" asks the writer of Genesis, the first book of the Bible.

Let's take God at His Word when He tells us that through all things in life, He works for the good of those who love Him and who have been called according to His purpose. We're not immune from trouble once we turn over our lives to Jesus and become Christ-followers. But we do gain access to a Power that helps us endure any difficulty--great or small. Likewise, we also become the beneficiaries of an eternal inheritance of a magnitude that will make our current troubles fade into oblivion. The pitfalls and sorrows that seem so great today will become laughably insignificant tomorrow.

As Christ-followers seeking to do His will, let's claim this promise from Jesus found in John's Gospel:

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." 

Troubles are indeed all around us. But we can rest assured that through our great God, all things will work toward His glory.