Body

Devotions

Through Every Trial

David Wilkerson (1931-2011)

We make a choice of whether to live our lives filled with worrisome fear or with trust in God. If we allow ourselves to worry about one thing today, we'll worry about two things tomorrow. In short, our fears will continue mounting as the waves of problems keep coming. And then, if our fears go unchecked, our worried mind will continue descending into a bottomless pit.

We simply must become convinced we are loved by our heavenly Father, no matter how fierce our trials are. We may hear voices of fear clamoring amid the rising waves of trouble, but David has testified clearly: "God's voice is heard above the flood!" “The Lord sat enthroned at the Flood, and the Lord sits as King forever” (Psalm 29:10).

When devastating floods of life come, people experience an “eclipse of faith.” Testimonies I have heard all have something in common: a dark night of the soul. I have become convinced over the years that every faithful servant of Christ faces such a crisis at one time or another. I have talked with those who described a period when everything seemed under a cloud of darkness and God's voice was silent. They did everything they knew to try to hear from heaven, but the darkness only continued.

It is during just such times that Scripture says we are to know and believe the love God has for us. When our world is turned upside down, we become most vulnerable to the enemy's lies. Satan will try to use our crises to bring us into a pit of despair. During those times it is vital that we draw on our knowledge of God's love for us.

In my life, I had many trials thrown at me. And this is the one truth that anchored me through it all: God loves me at all times, through every trial of life.

Praying with Joy

Gary Wilkerson

The apostle Paul was a fearless person. How did he find such confidence and joy in the midst of difficulty, uncertainty, and opposition? And how can we find the same in the time in which we are living?

First of all, when you are hurting for others’ pain, God will bring you joy! Many people today are hurting because of something — a lost job; a confused or defeated spouse; a lingering illness; a loved one struggling with poverty.

We read in Philippians 1:1: “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus.” Paul was saying, “I’m a slave, totally sold out. Christ is my all.” And then he goes on to address a larger group: “To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons.”

I like this because just ten years prior, he had started the church in Philippi with just a jailer, a woman and a slave girl. Now the church had elders and deacons and overseers. It had structure and order and vitality!  

And then he says in verse 2, “Grace to you and peace from God.” Here he is setting the tone for us in the midst of our trials to cause us to rely on grace, and the peace that comes from only one source, God, the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy” (1:3-4).

I like that he says, “I remember you all.” Sometimes we remember only some, right? Sometimes we don’t want to pray for our enemies, those who have hurt us or abused us — difficult people in the church or in our family. But Paul says, “I pray for all of you and whenever I pray, I pray with joy.” 

Being a Follower of Christ

Nicky Cruz

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.                  

An Anchor for Your Soul

David Wilkerson (1931-2011)

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.

God’s Word Speaks Louder

David Wilkerson (1931-2011)

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.