by Jim Hughes
Ps. 94:17-19 Unless the LORD had helped me, I would soon have died. I cried out, “I’m slipping!” and your unfailing love, O LORD, supported me. When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.
Have you ever felt like you were slipping? Sometimes life is like a slippery slope. Things happen that cause us to think that we are losing the battle. We get caught up in all the things that are going wrong and begin to panic. Life as we know it is in danger of falling apart. We become afraid that the Lord is nowhere to be found. We begin to doubt the reality of faith. We lose all sense of stability in our lives. Perhaps thoughts of dying even creep into our heads.
The Psalmist knew what it was like. Whatever was going on in his life at the time, he was in a panic mode. Circumstances seemed to have overpowered him. What did he do? Did he become a victim to the things going on in his life? No, he prayed. He understood that his hope was not in his ability to get himself out of his mess. He cried out to the Lord for help. He didn’t beat around the bush either. He told it like it was. “I’m slipping!” It’s important that we too tell the Lord exactly what is going on in our lives. We must be bold in declaring how we are being affected by what is going on around us. We must not hold anything back, but declare our need.
The Lord hears and answers the prayers of an honest heart. The Lord comes alongside us and comforts us in His unfailing love. He reassures us that things are not hopeless and we are not helpless. He renews our minds and shows us that there is hope, even in the worst times of life. His presence revitalizes us and causes the heart to be cheerful once again.
Don’t be a victim of circumstances. In Christ you are victorious, no matter how bad things may get. There is comfort in His love. There is hope and gladness of heart in Him. Stay connected to Him and everything will be well with your soul each step you take in life.
About the Author:
Spending his formative years in Ft. Wayne, IN, Jim followed the love of his life to southeast Iowa where they married and have spent the majority of their lives. Jim has pastored several churches throughout his life and has worked many years in local factories to help support his family. The father of two married adult children and one son still at home, Jim is a first-time author.
C Through Marriage came into being through many years of pastoral and life experiences. The book first took on a life of its own over 20 years ago when I sought to address the much publicized moral failures of prominent leaders in the church. In the chapter on Chasity, I include the guideliness that I developed then to protect one’s self from such failures.
I am a firm believer in order to make sense out of life you have to use much common sense. We need to get back to the basics of what has worked for many, many generations. If is isn’t broke, why try to fix it? I strive to return to the basics of what really works in all my writings.