Devotions

When our eyes have been opened by Jesus — when we see people the way he sees them — we can no longer sit quietly while hurting souls wander aimlessly through life all around us. Compassion for the lost cannot coexist with complacency. Apathy is no longer an option.

“This is how we know who the children of God are,” the apostle John tells us, “and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother” (1 John 3:10). Does God’s Word get any clearer than this? There is a litmus test to see if we are true followers of Jesus, to see if we are really his children, and it hinges on the level of our compassion for others.

John goes on to write, “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us” (1 John 3:17-20).

When the Holy Spirit has come into our hearts and lives, filling us with the love and compassion of Jesus, we see people clearly. Our eyes shine with the joy of the Lord, and we can no longer walk by the outcast of our day — the poor, the addict, the alcoholic, the gang member, the sinner — without seeing him, without feeling his pain. We take it upon ourselves to help him restore his dignity before God. We embrace him, cry with him, and lead him into the healing arms of Jesus. That’s what being a follower of Christ is all about.

Nicky Cruz, internationally known evangelist and prolific author, turned to Jesus Christ from a life of violence and crime after meeting David Wilkerson in New York City in 1958. The story of his dramatic conversion was told first in The Cross and the Switchblade by David Wilkerson and then later in his own best-selling book Run, Baby, Run.                  

Praying in faith, King David took hold of this truth: "Let not the floodwater overflow me, nor let the deep swallow me up; and let not the pit shut its mouth on me" (Psalm 69:15). It's not unusual for even the godliest person to face troubles rising like floodwaters. And like David, we can be steeped in God's Word, faithful to pray and devoted to the Lord, yet feel overwhelmed by waves of fear.

Beholding the greatness of our God is an anchor for our souls. It is meant to build up our faith in this hour when many are feeling overwhelmed by fear. I'm convinced the church needs one thing at this very moment: an increasing revelation of God's greatness. So many anxious people around the world are turning to false gods in the midst of overwhelming fears. But followers of Jesus need to be reminded of the power and greatness of the one true God.

In a book we published entitled Triumph Through Tragedy, Christians share testimonies of God's help during their most difficult trials. In each case they found hope in the revelation of God's greatness.

These testimonies made it very clear that during every flood of affliction, God's people have choices. Our first choice in the face of great trials is to gird up our faith — to trust in our loving heavenly Father no matter what comes.

Everyone who contributed a story to Triumph Through Tragedy testified that they had a choice to make. And when they chose faith, God gave them a renewed intimacy with Jesus. Yet this happened when their painful trial was at its worst. David testified of his worst hour, "This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles" (Psalm 34:6). We have to be firmly persuaded of his power, might and greatness on our behalf.

We receive messages from Christians all over the world. Right now believers in various nations are writing the same thing: Fear is taking hold. As prophesied in Scripture, God is shaking everything that can be shaken and it's hard to fathom all the upheaval taking place.

In the midst of it all, anxiety is spreading and Christians are not immune. Many write about great storms in their lives: financial crises, family stress, depression, sorrow. Some are overwhelmed beyond belief — and the problems don't seem to stop coming.

Sometimes our greatest fears and distress come through the pain of those nearest and dearest to us. Many of God's people are crying, "Lord, enough! Your Word promises deliverance. You said you wouldn't let me endure more than I could bear without making a way of escape for me. But where is the escape now in the midst of my greatest trial?"

Whenever we face deep trials and difficulties, the devil moves in to take advantage. Scripture describes him as a flood of fear that dashes us with wave after wave. These demonic floods even have a voice: "O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves" (Psalm 93:3).

Have you noticed that troubles and afflictions often come in waves? Just as you battle through one problem, another follows in its wake. The apostle John speaks for many today who are being carried away in a state of stress: "The serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman [the Church], that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood" (Revelation 12:15).

But God answers the voice of every demonic flood: "The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, than the mighty waves of the sea" (Psalm 93:4, my italics). Simply put, God's Word speaks louder than any flood we may face. His greatness overrides even our biggest trial.

When a man (or woman) of God is in the making, enemy forces will come at him with great fury.

Are you tasting a bitter cup of pain, enduring a terrifying hour of isolation and confusion? If so, I urge you to take a stand in faith: “I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day” (2 Timothy 1:12).

Your soul may not be flooded with joy and peace at this moment. In fact, you may still have turmoil in your soul. If that is the case, stay rooted firmly in his Word and stop trying to think your way through it all.

I can assure you that God has not forgotten you. He bottles every tear you shed. One morning after I preached, I was approached by a dear sister in Christ. She told me, “Pastor, when I came to church this morning I was happy and carefree. But when you began talking about the cup of pain, I wept inside. I realized I was putting up a front. My husband has left me and my children are in turmoil. I’ve covered it up to hide my pain. But in reality, my soul is being flooded with sorrow and regret.” I prayed with her in that moment, asking God to make her faith strong in him. She left with true encouragement because she knows in whom she has believed.

Dear saint, in the midst of your battle, make Jesus the joy and hope of your life. “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5).

God does his best work in us during trying times. Let him change your heart so that your conditions no longer overwhelm you. Then, whatever may come, you will remain above it all, seated with him in heavenly places. You are the object of his incredible love!

Jesus said at Gethsemane, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even to death” (Matthew 26:38). Can you imagine the Son of God enduring a night of confusion? Didn’t he know he was about to claim all victory over hell and death? Didn’t he have an innate sense of guidance and destiny, knowing the Father was with him?

It has been said by generations of Christians that the hardest part of faith is the last half hour. I want to add a word here that the night of confusion often comes just before the victory, right before the darkness breaks and light begins to dawn.

Just before the power of Satan is broken, you will face a devastating night of confusion. In that hour, it will seem to you as if all guidance is gone and purpose has disappeared. The sense of God’s Spirit you once relied on will seem to have evaporated. You can agree with Job when he said, “If the Lord is at work, I cannot perceive it” (see Job 23:8).

Many in Christ’s Body face moral issues similar to David’s. In their night of confusion they wonder, “God, why me? My heart was searching after you when my sin overwhelmed me. My soul is plagued by it all. I don’t understand.”

Don’t think for a moment that someone who has been used mightily by God has all the answers. I know what it is like to face that divine silence in a night of confusion. I know what it feels like to walk through a season of turmoil and bewilderment, with no apparent guidance. All my previous patterns of direction and discernment were useless. I simply could not see my way and I was reduced to this cry: “Lord, what has happened? I don’t know which way to go.”

We all will face that night. Yet, thank God, it is a season that will pass. The Lord desires to make our path clear. He has promised, “I will turn to you in tender loving mercies.” And so he will do with us, his children, extending to us his mercy in our times of isolation.