The Absolute Necessity For Acknowledging God’s Sovereignty in Times of Misfortune and Tragedy! Part 1.

15 Jan 2026 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Job 1:21b.        the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.

Oh friends, as the song says, it’s just one of those days; one of those beautiful Thursdays when everything is covered in white, several inches deep. (smile) Yes, a winter storm has dropped a lot of snow on us during the past twelve hours, and it’s still sprinkling down as we speak. I can imagine the mess the morning commute must have been, and I’m sure many people could not even get to work because of it. But that’s the price we pay for living in the northern climes. Occasionally we’re hemmed in and severely restricted by the aberrations of the winter weather. (smile) 

And after the storm … then comes the hard part; digging and shovelling ourselves out of it. The main roads in my area have not even been touched as yet, so you can imagine the chaos in the busier parts of the city. Usually, you’ll hear vehicles passing, but today nary a one is passing by, that’s to tell you the condition of the streets. But we’ll take it all in stride, as we usually do, and complain as we dig ourselves out, but we certainly won’t allow a li’l snow to dent or downgrade our spirits, for we are made of sterner stuff than that. (smile) 

It’s a smiley kind of day. It has to be, or all the snow out there would just drive you crazy. And how do we do that? By turning to God’s Word which gives encouragement and reassurance in every instance of misfortune or disaster. It’s like the overview of this commentary says: ‘Scriptures on dealing with misfortune emphasize faith, perseverance, community support, and the belief that God can bring purpose out of suffering. The Bible acknowledges that misfortune is a part of life and provides guidance for navigating these difficult times.’ 

Yes my brethren, God’s Word certainly provides guidance for navigating difficult times. So let’s look at a few of them nuh, so we can gain some reassurance on this snowy day. And there’s no better scripture to begin with than this one from Job, where after losing everything; the Bible tells us: ‘Then Job arose, and rent (tore) his mantle (robe), and shaved his head, and fell upon the ground, and worshipped. And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.’ (Job 1:20-22) 

And yes, that kind of faith and righteous behaviour is indeed difficult to show forth when tragedy befalls us, but it’s the necessary response that God expects. Please note that the first thing Job did was worship the Lord. And that’s where it ought to begin, although it’s not easy to remember that or to do it, even when we remember. And then Job did not blame the Lord for His misfortune, although the Lord had to be involved in some form and fashion for He oversees everything that happens to us. Job simply stated the logic of it all: the Lord gave, now the Lord’s taken away what He gave. That’s His prerogative. 

So although his life had gone from heaven to hell in a short time, Job did not blame God or curse him and die, as his wife told him to do. (Job 2:9) Unfortunately though, many of us don’t have that kind of faith which enables us to take our difficulties in stride without complaining or blaming something, or someone, God included. But that is the kind of faith we need to have if we expect to successfully navigate this world as followers of Jesus. We need to truly trust and accept God’s sovereignty over all the matters in our lives. 

Meanwhile these marvellous words of Bruh David from Psalm 34 encourages us to turn to prayer when difficulties arise. He writes: ‘The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh (near) unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit (crushed in spirit). Many are the afflictions of the righteous: bur the Lord delivereth him out of them all. He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.’ (Ps. 34:17-20) 

Yes my fellow believers, the Lord does all of that, but unfortunately it’s on His own timetable. We want immediate relief, but the Lord has what He considers important reasons for not granting immediate relief. And I can tell you about that from personal example. In the last few weeks I’ve been crying out to the Lord for relief from the pains in my stomach, and I did not doubt that it would eventually come, but for whatever reason, the Lord did not see fit to give me some relief until very recently. And as I said a couple of days ago, I don’t know if my attitude during that time was satisfactory in God’s eyes, for I did complain some, but I certainly did not curse Him. 

That’s why talk is cheap, but action comes with a hefty price, which many of us are not prepared to pay. And sadly, it looks like time and space have run out on us, so we’ll stop there for today. Tomorrow, if God spares life, we’ll continue looking at some scriptures that encourage us in difficult times. Now, let’s declare our Thursday Blessings, underserved ones, generously bestowed on us by the Father to help us do His earthly work. 

As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’ 

And having made that declaration (awright!!!) we are now duty bound to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…the Christian life calls for showing undaunted, fearless faith in action…not merely in talk…

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 August 2021 Psalm 34:19.

01 Aug 2021 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Psalm 34:19.      Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. 

One more Sunday is on deck friends! What a way they come around often and quickly! (smile) But that only means it’s time once again for corporate praise, worship and thanksgiving to Almighty God, our Creator and Provider. And there is definitely no problem in doing that. In fact, it ought to be an exciting and joyful time to which we gladly look forward. For what can be more energizing and uplifting than giving thanks and praise to our heavenly Father, considering all that He has done for us, is currently doing, and has promised to do until eternity? Absolutely nothing my faithful saints in Christ! 

So let’s get on with it nuh, opening as always with a song of praise. And today’s song has been one of my favourites ever since I first heard it a few years ago. It’s titled ‘The Anchor Holds.’ The song was originally written by a small-town pastor called Lawrence Chewning. According to Chewning, around 1992 his wife and him were having a rough time. He was a burned-out pastor, and then his wife had her third miscarriage. He took a sabbatical for six months, and just ended up playing the piano all the time, while talking to God. 

One day he found himself playing a song that sounded familiar, but he really didn’t know it. Then he began singing some words that the Lord put in his heart and the song was born. But that’s not the end of the story. Sometime later, he was talking to the singer Ray Boltz and told him about the rough times and the song the Lord had given him. Then one day, out of the blue, Ray called and said he wanted to record the song. Obviously Chewning said yes, but told Ray that he would have to shorten the song, because he felt it was too long. Ray remodelled the song to what it is today and released it in 1995. 

It seems he even had problems getting the record company to release the song because they didn’t like it. But he persisted because others who heard it liked it. And to show how God doesn’t leave His children in the lurch, Chewning says that at the time of the release of the song, he had become an out of work pastor, having resigned some time before, wondering how he was going to support his family. Obviously, he was going to get some financial rewards from the release of the song. Isn’t our God great? He certainly is! 

Now after hearing that touching and encouraging story, let’s sing the song in an up-tempo reggae riddim like the Jamaican gospel singer Judith Gayle. Remember the background vocal, the flourish of hands and the high stepping, with joy and gratitude emanating from our hearts, as our sincere voices are raised to heaven in sacrificial praise. Wow mih bredrin, let’s sing! 

‘I have journeyed, Through the long, dark night Out on the open sea By faith alone, Sight unknown And yet His eyes, were watching me. The anchor holds, though the ship is battered. The anchor holds, though the sails are torn. I have fallen on my knees, As I face the raging seas, But the anchor holds, In spite of the storm. I’ve had visions, I’ve had dreams, I’ve even held them in my hand, But I never knew, They would slip right through, Like they were only grains of sand. The anchor holds, though the ship is battered. The anchor holds, though the sails are torn. I have fallen on my knees, As I face the raging seas, But the anchor holds, In spite of the storm. 

Oh, I have been young, but I am older now, thank the Lord, And there has been beauty, that these eyes have seen, But it was in the night, through the storms of my life, Oh, that’s where God proved, His LOVE for me. The anchor holds, though my ship is battered. The anchor holds, though my sails are torn. And I have fallen on my knees, As I face the raging seas, But the anchor holds, In spite of the storm.  I have fallen on my knees, As I face the raging seas, But the anchor holds, In spite of the storm. Yes, the anchor holds, In spite of the storm. Thank You Jesus! I have fallen on my knees, As I face the raging seas, But the anchor holds, In spite of the storm. Yes, the anchor holds, In spite of the storm.’ 

And is that ever the gospel truth my people! When Jesus is our Lord and Saviour, whatever storms we go through, be they literal or metaphorical, the anchor always holds because He is the Master of the storm! However, we need to believe that and put it into action when the storms of life come against us. Even in the raging seas, when our ship is battered and our sails are torn, the right thing for us to do is get down on our knees and cry out to Him for safety and succour. 

It is all based on the premise of hope in Christ Jesus which leads to an undying faith in Him. I like how the prophet Zechariah puts it as he speaks to his people, Israel about the coming of their future king, Jesus, the Messiah. He says: ‘Turn you to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope…’ (Zech. 9:12a) Yes friends, that’s what believers in Christ are, ‘prisoners of hope!’ And what’s hope? Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) describes ‘Hope as a revolution, a powerful presence that breaks through from the future and transforms today.’ Oh my people, that is exactly what hope in Christ does for us; gives us an encouraging glimpse of a wonderful future with Him! 

And we are just going to quote a few verses of scripture to back up our contention, re hope in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This first from Psalm 34 – The Lord hears the righteous. The psalmist declares: ‘The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite (crushed) spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.’ (Ps; 34:17-20) 

What marvellous words of assurance friends! And just in case you don’t believe that psalmist, then listen to the Sons of Korah from Psalm 46, who tell us in no uncertain terms: ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help (an abundantly available help) in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst (the heart) of the sea. Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.   Selah.’ (Ps. 46:1-3) 

But all talk aside friends, there is only one way to find out if all of that is true; and that’s by putting one’s hope, faith and trust in Christ Jesus. Otherwise you’ll just keep wandering aimlessly in the wilderness like the Israelites did so long ago. And in these desperate and uncertain times, our lives definitely call for less talk and more action! So let’s get to some serious action nuh! Much LOVE!

…talk is a precursor to action…that means…talk without action is useless…                                                                                                     

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