Facing Troubles With God
Sunday November 20, 2016
In recovery, and in life in general, situations often arise which cause us to believe that we are alone and have no one to turn to for help. Fear often wells up within us causing the old familiar feeling of wanting to run and hide in our addiction. What can we do when this happens? The writer of the following Psalm poured out his heart to God knowing that He alone had the answers to all his problems.
I cry out to the Lord; I plead for the Lord’s mercy. I pour out my complaints before him and tell him all my troubles. When I am overwhelmed, you alone know the way I should turn. Wherever I go, my enemies have set traps for me. (Psalm 142:1-3 NLT)
When the pull of addiction tempts, it is like a persecutor who will not cease until he conquers our will. When we give in to the obsession we find ourselves back in the prison of insanity knowing we are powerless. However, when we cry out to God and bring the “persecutor” before Him, the oppressor loses his power.
We, as children of God, do not need to stand and defend ourselves against temptation. The battle is the Lord’s! We need to come to God and allow Him to be our place of refuge. As we rest in Him, we will find that the battle may rage in our minds for a short while but it will certainly quiet down because the war has already been won. Jesus has rescued us from the power of sin and the enemy behind the obsessive thinking that is tempting us to surrender to the power of God.
It’s important to know both the strength and limits of our enemy. The enemy will claim to have unstoppable power over us but as we put our trust and faith in Jesus, we will experience God’s saving power that is higher than every other power.
Dear Lord Jesus, Thank you for being my refuge and help in time of need. When I allow the enemy to have power over me, help me to stop and call out to You, for You alone know the way I should turn.
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