Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” (Genesis 35:3 ESV)
Where do you go when you are in distress? What do you do when life has turned upside down? Who do you go to? This is something that we all have to deal with at one time or another as life doesn't always go as planned.
In this passage - Jacob had just gone through a traumatic experience as his daughter Tamar had just been raped and his sons then murdered those responsible. He then expresses his dismay in Genesis 34:30 - Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me by making me stink to the inhabitants of the land...
That's a lot to deal with. Trouble is piled upon trouble.
Have you ever felt that way? You take 1step forward only to take 2 back. Just as you get back on your feet, something happens to knock you down again.
I like Jacob's response - "Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” (Genesis 35:3 ESV)
He immediately took it to God. He built an altar to the most High God and turned it over to God. The experiences of his life led him during this very dark season.
I have had plenty days of distress. There are some that I've handled well and others I would as soon forget and I failed miserably.
Yet, I know this: God has always been there for me - even when I didn't turn to Him in the first place.
When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the LORD your God and obey His voice (Deuteronomy 4:30 NKJV)
In my distress I called upon the LORD, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry entered His ears. (II Samuel 22:7 NKJV)
Stress brings out what is really inside of you. When I was studying about personality types with the Myers-Briggs personality test, I found this out: When we are in distress - we will often go to the very opposite of our God-given gifting. We end up going to the most negative, dark side.
That is why it is so important to have a plan for (an escape route built into your life). When stress comes - you then go on auto-pilot because you've trained yourself to do so.What do you need to do, who do you need to talk to, where do you need to go?
Here's a hard fact: It's a little hard how to figure out what to do while you are in the distress situation.
Look at how King Ahaz handled the stress in his own life... Now in the time of his distress King Ahaz became increasingly unfaithful to the LORD. (II Chronicles 28:22 NKJV)
I am told that pilots learn to fly airplanes with a shield over their vision. The reason: so when they face the storms - they already know how to use the instruments on their plane.
We need to be instrument rated Christians - knowing how to function when the storms arrive. We need to learn how to act in the dark what has been taught to us in the light.
I called on the LORD in distress; The LORD answered me and set me in a broad place. The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? (Psalms 118:5-6 NKJV)
In my distress I cried to the LORD, And He heard me. (Psalms 120:1 NKJV)
There is so much to be said about this topic. From my own experience, the best place to go is to our Heavenly Father for He knows what is best for your life. As John expresses:
These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NKJV)
May God give you great peace as you bring your troubles and distress and lay them at His feet!
No comments:
Post a Comment