August 21 Bright Spots in Bleak Places-Psalm 86:1-13

Occasionally we feel tired and bored in our daily life. But when I look around many people next to me, their lives are not only tired and frustrated, it is also challenging and dismay as well. A friend of mine in the prayer group, his father has dementia and his mother is very frail physically. Also his mother fell at one time when helping his father. Also my friend is under stress in his work place. He is really under attacked from all directions. Can he give up his parents or his job. Obviously not, but he still has to tackle all the problems in his hands with the help of our God. Should I complain that life is boring. Come on, look around people in our circle of life. Different people have different kinds of problems. We live in a sinful world and are being attacked by the evil doers. But take heart, our God is bigger than any problems that we confront. He is our comforter and healer, a bright spot in this bleak world.

This unexpected bright spot in rough topography reminded me of how life, even for the believer in Jesus, can seem barren and cheerless. Troubles can seem insurmountable, and like the cries of the psalmist David, our prayers sometimes seem to go unheeded: “Hear me, Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy” (Psalm 86:1). Like him, we long for joy.

But David goes on to declare that we serve a faithful and compassionate God, who overthrows with love for all who call on Him. He does answer.

Sometimes in bleak places, God sends a sunflower—an encouraging word or note from a friend; a comforting verse or Bible passage; a beautiful sunrise—that helps us to move forward with a lighter step, with hope. Even as we await the day we experience God’s deliverance out of our difficulty, may we join the psalmist in proclaiming, “You are great and do marvelous deeds; you are the only God.”

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February 27, 2021 No Longer Yourself – Galatians 2:14-21

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February 26, 2021 Facing Fear – Psalms 56:3-11

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February 25, 2021 To Be Human – Philippians 4:6-8

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February 24, 2021 Never Alone – Ecclesiastes 4:8-12

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