SUSTAINED IN HARD TIMES
Dear brothers and sisters,
In Psalms 55:22, the Complete Jewish Translation says: “Unload your burden on Adonai and He will sustain you.” Amplified Bible says to “Release the weight of it.”
In this verse, as we have studied before, there is a God side and our side of the action. When we do our part, the Word of God assures us that God will always do His part.
I’ll remind you that sustain means “to keep, to nourish, to feed, to provide, to guide and to hold or uphold.” I don’t know about you but to me this means my future is bright as long as I can cast all my cares on the Lord. He’ll carry me throughout my lifetime. He’ll protect me all my days. He’ll feed me (provide) no matter what the economy is like. When I see statistics of the evil that’s happening to others, I’m able to confidently say it will not happen to me.
“A thousand may fall at my side, ten thousand at my right hand; but it shall not come near me.” Psalms 91:7 NKJV
Someone might ask, “What makes you so special that what is happening to others won’t happen to you?” Remember Israel in Egypt, how the Lord made a difference between them and the Egyptians?
Ex 8:22-23 22 And in that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the land. 23 I will make a difference between My people and your people. NKJV
Ex 9:25-26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.
The Lord made a difference then and He still does. Why will God be able to differentiate you from the world? The main reason is the goodness of the Lord towards us. The Bible says the Lord is good to all. (Ps. 145:9). However, as much as He wants to be good to you, you can hinder His goodness if you take up on yourself to worry.
The Lord Jesus Christ, the Head of the church gave us a command. He said:
“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. . . .? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 . . . For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (Matthew 5:6:25-33 NKJV Paraphrased.)
This was not a suggestion. To worry about all these natural things is to be of “little faith.” Without faith it is impossible to please God. Why? It denies Him the access to take care of you. So if someone comes to you with a barrage of problems and issues, your first question should be: “Have you cast the care of that on the Lord?” Jesus told us what to do instead of worrying. Seek first the Kingdom of God and all these other things will be added to you. Brethren, resist the temptation to worry or to fear. Don’t speak the worry, or the fear, speak and sing of your trust IN THE LORD!
