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Bible Devotions

When Trouble Comes

"From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I." (Psalm 61:2)

I have come to realize that when I am seeking to walk in the will of God and when I am engaging in the things of God, then I can expect opposition from the enemy of God, the devil. Sometimes afflictions do not come into our lives because of our disobedience, but quite the opposite. Our afflictions, our troubles, and our hardships can come because we are obedient to God.

Remember Job and all of the hardship that came upon him because he was a perfect and an upright man, a man who feared God and turned away evil?

Then there was Nehemiah, who went out to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem that had been torn down and were lying in rubble. God had directed him to do this, but as soon as he undertook this great work for the Lord, a man named Sanballat opposed him and threatened him. What did Nehemiah do? Did he get a restraining order against Sanballat? Did he immediately stop what he was doing and run and hide? No. Instead, Nehemiah did what James says we should do when we are afflicted or when we are in trouble. He prayed. He said, "Hear, O our God, for we are despised; turn their reproach on their own heads, … for they have provoked You to anger before the builders" (Neh. 4:4-5). Nehemiah cried out to God and brought his problems to Him.

As 1 Peter 5:7 reminds us, "Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." So when trouble comes, pray. Bring your troubles, your problems, and your cares to God.

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Copyright © 2006 by Greg Laurie. All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1986. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.