Tim Johnson
We have all lived in hard times at some point. It is very possible many of you will be in hard times in the near future. Hard times will energize some people while paralyzing others. Let’s remember David. It seems everything he touched turned to gold. Samuel anointed him to be king, he defeated Goliath, Saul chose him to be a musician and warrior. The armies loved him and wrote songs about him. He ended up losing his job, his marriage failed, Samuel his old mentor died, his best friend Jonathan was not able to help him, and Saul’s soldiers chased him until he had to hide in a cave.
At some point we will all hide in a cave. It’s where we end up when all our earthly support abandons us. This is also where you will learn a few important things about yourself that you will not learn anywhere else. This is where you learn you are lost and out of your depth of knowledge. This is also where Christ will send His power to flow through your weaknesses and pick you up.
When David prayed, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living” (Psalms 142:5), he had no way of knowing there was a crown in his future, or that he was not going to die in hiding. When you are in a situation that you cannot fix, cannot change, and cannot escape, Trust God! As long as your sense of security is tied solely to your worldly success, it will always be fragile. When you know God is with you even at your lowest point when all is lost, know that you can handle the cave when the Lord is with you. You will come out of the cave stronger than you went in. Know you are Blessed and Loved by the Lord.
Tim Johnson is associate pastor at Valley Christian Fellowship
