“This I Know, God is for me.” 

Life can throw us hard balls that hit us right between the eyes. I don't know how many times unexpected and trying circumstances have caused me to quote the old adage: "You never know what a day's gonna bring." The tough stuff of life can surely test our faith in God's good promises. While the Apostle Peter tells us not to be surprised when such things interject themselves into our lives (1Peter 4:12), we have an enemy who tries to influence us to think otherwise. This enemy lives to lie to us about God’s character and purposes. Since the garden, Satan’s non-stop mantra has been, “Did God really say?” The most seasoned among us can sometimes find ourselves asking, “Has God forgotten His promises? Has He forgotten me? Does He really keep His word to His children?” 

What can we do when we find ourselves in this place? Why does our loving God allow “the world, the flesh and the devil” to oppress us like this? I sure don’t have all the answers. But one reason I’m sure of is this: He wants us to run to Him and find shelter “under his wings.”

David had a lot of experience with such struggles and puts them into words for us in the Psalms. He shows us how to run to God for shelter. For example, while struggling through an imprisonment by the Philistines in the city of Gath, he took every thought captive with this declaration:

(Psalm 56:8-11) “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.

My enemies will retreat when I call to you for help. This I know: God is on my side! (“God is for me” - ESV)  I praise God for what he has promised; Yes, I praise the Lord for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me? (NLT)

Read that again and notice: David acknowledges that God is keeping close track of his sorrows…God has not forgotten him. He knows that prayer is the pathway to victory. He emphatically knows that God is for him, based on His promises that David will continue to trust. Therefore, David will not be afraid of what will happen… “God is on my side, so what can mortal men do to defeat me?”  

My wife makes almost daily entries into what she calls her, “God Amazes Me Journal.” She records all that she can perceive of God’s providential blessings and “serendipities” that are showered into our lives. This exercise is helpful in creating a healthy perspective on reality – “This I know, God is for me!” So when those “fiery trials” come upon us to test us we will not be surprised as though something strange were happening to us. But we will have the grace to rejoice that we are sharing in the sufferings of Christ (1Peter 4:12-13). A servant is not above his master, if Jesus suffered, we too will suffer (for the joy set before Him, He endured the cross).  

So, my brothers and sisters, concerning those situations that test your faith in the promises of God, remember, you only see a little piece of the picture. Your God sees it all. And when the great liar tries to convince you that The God of Truth is the one who can’t be trusted, declare with all the power of the Spirit within you, “This I know, God is for me!”