Staying Confident

"I am still confident of this:
   I will see the goodness of the LORD
   in the land of the living." 
Psalm 27:13

I know that I keep talking about difficult circumstances. Maybe that's because I still find myself in one. But the more people I talk to, the more stories of crisis, sickness, and difficulties I hear. As much as we want to be healthy and enjoying good times, the reality is; Life is full of struggles. Christians are not immune to this. There are seasons that sometimes seem to be more than we can endure.
    King David, who wrote the scripture above, understood difficulties. The things he endured are too numerous to name here. Often, he would cry out to God, asking for Him to show up and deliver him from the crisis. David wrote these words when he was in a trying time. Psalm 27 describes David's emotions as he saw people who were coming against him. It must have seemed too much for him to bear. People were slandering him and threatening his life. The desire of his enemies was to kill him. So David cried out to God. He knew this was his only true refuge.
    Many of you reading this, are in times of difficulty or crisis. It may seem impossible to find hope for the future because you cannot see beyond the situation. It may look hopeless. It may seem that nothing is going to change. But like David, we must find the strength to cry out to God and believe that he will rescue us. David was very honest with God. When he felt abandoned or hopeless, he told God exactly how he felt. When he did this, he always found strength to praise God and receive hope. We have the same God David did. He is still there and he has promised to never leave us. So if you find yourself feeling alone, cry out to him.
    Take courage. Be confident in the fact that the seasons will change. As surely as the barren winter gives way to the blossoming spring, so will your season change. The goodness of the Lord never fails. It is a promise from him. He is a good God and his desire is to bless us with good things. The crisis, the difficult time will end. When it does, there will be a life-filled abundance just like the flowers of the spring. It will happen, and it will happen in your lifetime. It is not reserved for the afterlife. You will move beyond the rocky, rough road you may be traveling. I agree with David: "I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living." And so will you.