#pain – herbcotton.org

Will My Troubles and Trials Ever Go Away?

Text:

Psalm 55:1-5 (ESV)

1 Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy!

2 Attend to me, and answer me; I am restless in my complaint and I moan,

3 because of the noise of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked. For they drop trouble upon me, and in anger they bear a grudge against me.

4 My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen upon me.

5 Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me.

Observation:

In this Psalm David writes about the troubles and terror that he was facing in a season of his life. The troubles were from within, and without, but they both drained him of his peace, and his joy.

Psalm 55:6-8 (ESV)

6 And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest;

7 yes, I would wander far away; I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah

8 I would hurry to find a shelter from the raging wind and tempest.”

When we find ourselves feeling like this, when we think will I ever get out of this pit. This is the time to be still, and remember who we are, and whose we are. It is time to connect with our Father in heaven.

Psalm 55:16-17 (ESV)

16 But I call to God, and the LORD will save me.

17 Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice.

Yes, there is nothing in this world that will satisfy our souls, and heal our wounded hearts like the presence of the Lord. That is why David writes this near the end of his Psalm, and you can claim this promise in your season of trouble, and pain.

Psalm 55:22 (ESV)

22 Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.

The Apostle Peter draws upon this wisdom, and writes this encouragement to the first century believers, and it speaks to us today.

1 Peter 5:7 (ESV)

7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Prayer:

Father, I exalt and give praise and honor to Your name; the name that I cherish above every name on earth below, and in heaven above.

Father, hear our cry; hear our plea as we cry out to You in prayer for others, and for ourselves. Father, we declare that our hope is in You, and that our help comes from You.

Father, we know that You can, and that You will hear our prayer. We watch, and wait for Your answer to our prayers. Amen.

—

Ephesians 6:10-11 (ESV)
¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

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How Do You Deal With Suffering?

Text:

Psalm 30:2-3 (KJV)

2 O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.

3 O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.

Observation:

The questions that many are asking is, “Why Am I Suffering?” As we read the bible we see that all of the disciples suffered. They suffered, and many died a martyrs death. Even Jesus suffered, and died. A better question to ask is, “How do we suffer?”

The bible says this about our suffering.

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 (ESV)

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,

4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

5 For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.

In the season of our pain we should never forget that God is a good Father, and He cares for His children, and He has a great, and enduring love for us. We know that in everything God is working for our good.

Romans 8:28 (ESV)

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

The response to our pain should be praise from our lips to God’s ears. That is what David did, and that is what we should do. No matter what you are going through, the best is yet to come. God has you in His heart, and in His hands. Don’t allow your suffering to make you bitter. God has better plans for you; so offer up some praise to Him. A song of gratitude will change your attitude.

Psalm 30:4 (ESV)

4 Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name.

Prayer:

Father God, we exalt You, and we extol, and give praise, honor, and glory to Your most holy and righteous name.

Father, with grateful hearts we say thank You for loving us with an everlasting love, and for doing for us what we could not do for ourselves. Father, we love You, and cling to Your presence in our lives both now, and forever. In the mighty name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

—

Isaiah 55:11 (KJV)
¹¹ So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

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What Kind of People Make Good Decisions?

Text:

Psalm 25:4-5 (HCSB)

4 Make Your ways known to me, LORD; teach me Your paths.

5 Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; I wait for You all day long.

Observation:

To make good decisions you need good information. David was experiencing difficulties in his life, but he knew where to go to get good information. This is what David knew about God, and what he knew about God’s will, and purpose for his life.

Psalm 139:13-16 (HCSB)

13 For it was You who created my inward parts; You knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14 I will praise You because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, and I know [this] very well.

15 My bones were not hidden from You when I was made in secret, when I was formed in the depths of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all [my] days were written in Your book and planned before a single one of them began.

In his time of crisis, David knew where to go for help. When you don’t know what to do or where to go, you can find hope and help in the Lord. God has a purpose for your life, and He knows the way for you to fulfill the purpose for which you were made.

Psalm 25:1-2 (HCSB)

1 LORD, I turn to You.

2 My God, I trust in You. Do not let me be disgraced; do not let my enemies gloat over me.

The best decision you can make regarding the next step you should take is to ask the Lord to help you.

Psalm 25:4 (HCSB)

4 Make Your ways known to me, LORD; teach me Your paths.

You can never go wrong when you ask the Lord to help you, and when you walk in the way of the Lord.

Psalm 25:8-10 (HCSB)

8 The LORD is good and upright; therefore He shows sinners the way.

9 He leads the humble in what is right and teaches them His way.

10 All the LORD’s ways [show] faithful love and truth to those who keep His covenant and decrees.

Prayer:

Father God, we glorify Your name. Father, give us a burning desire to seek Your face, to ask for your help, and to do what You tell us to do. Father, when You speak, may we learn to listen, and obey. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

—

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What Do You Do When You Are In the Wilderness?

Text:

Psalm 63:1-6 (KJV)

1 O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;

2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.

3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.

4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.

5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:

6 When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.

Observation:

This Psalm was written when David was experiencing one of the wilderness experiences in his life.

If you have been there, you know that these experiences can really be painful.

Our focal passage for today reveals where our focus should be to move us from pain to pleasure. David used the circumstance of being in the wilderness to take inventory of his life.

In doing this inventory David discovered three important things that he still had in the midst of his pain. This is what he remembered.

He still had his God. When you have God He is all you need.

Psalm 63:2 (KJV)

2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.

He still had his song. Singing will get you through your pain. It’s always a good thing to sing praises to God.

Psalm 63:4 (KJV)

4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.

He still had his joy. Your circumstances may rob you of happiness, but you can have joy in the midst of your circumstances. You can have joy in the Lord always; anytime and anywhere.

Psalm 63:6 (KJV)

6 When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.

Prayer:

Father, we give glory and honor to You. Father, we are grateful for the grace that allows us to know You, and be known by You.

Father, we thank You for the encouragement that we get from the Psalms. Father, we pray for those who are currently going through a wilderness experience in their life.

Father, I pray that they will find hope and help in the inventory that David took in his wilderness experience. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

—

Hear the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

https://soundcloud.com/praying-for-you-ministry