WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
MARCH 13, 2023
TOPIC: DIVINE COMFORT AND DELIVERANCE AMID TROUBLES Â
BY T. O. BANSO
âFor indeed, when we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were troubled on every side. Outside were conflicts, inside were fears. Nevertheless God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titusâ (2 Corinthians 7:5-6 New King James Version).
Troubles are a reality of human existence. Nobody prays for troubles but they do happen. Some troubles are self-inflicted. Proverbs 21:23 says whoever guards his mouth and tongue, keeps his soul from troubles. In other words, someoneâs mouth could put him in trouble. There are other ways through which troubles could be self-inflicted. Proverbs 11:17b says he who is cruel troubles his own flesh. Troubles could even be because of a mistake one makes. Also, it could be through the mistake of other people. Someone could be in trouble because of the mistake of another person.
Some troubles could also be through the wickedness or hatred of other people. David said, âLORD, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against meâ (Psalm 3:1 New King James Version). He is believed to have written the psalm when his son, Absalom, revolted and seized the throne from him and David fled Jerusalem. In addition, before he became king, Saul troubled his life and he kept running from one place to another to escape being killed.
Ahab wrongly accused the prophet Elijah of troubling Israel because of the famine he had pronounced upon the land of Israel which lasted three years and a half years (1 Kings 18:17). But Elijah replied that he had not troubled Israel but Ahab and his father’s house had, by forsaking the commandments of the Lord and following the Baals (verse 18). Because of Ahabâs sin, he put the entire land in trouble.
However, unlike Elijah, Jonah was the cause of trouble for those who were with him on the same ship. They could have suffered a shipwreck if he had not been immediately identified as the cause of the mighty tempest on the sea and he was thrown into the sea at his request. Immediately, the sea ceased from ranging (Jonah 1:3-15).
Some troubles are spiritual. The devil could use someone against another, causing him serious loss, pain, or, simply put, causing trouble. Someone may not even be able to link the trouble to anyone. One trouble is bad but some people battle with many at the same time.
There is nobody who has not experienced trouble. Troubles only vary from one person to the other. They could be health, career, financial, marital, and so on. If you meet ten people you have never met before and pray for each person that the trouble he is going through will be over soon in Jesusâ name, nearly all of them would fervently say Amen to your prayer. Many people are in different troubles and need God’s comfort and deliverance.
David cried to God, âThe troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguishâ (Psalm 25:17 New International Version). He continued in verse 22, âRedeem Israel, O God, from all their troubles!â (New International Version).
Nobody is exempt from trouble. Itâs either you have just come out of one or youâre currently in one. Unfortunately, some people are about to enter one. The devil is a bad devil! Not because there is a good devil. He is still at work stealing, killing, and destroying (John 10:10a). Plus other people make mistakes or deliberately do what puts others in trouble. In addition, individuals can also make mistakes; people make bad decisions that sometimes put them in trouble.
Whatever the case, be careful not to take wrong actions in your trouble. No matter how you find yourself in trouble or how the troubles came about, God has the power to deliver you. Donât let your troubles drive you away from God; let them bring you closer to Him. If itâs your sins that put you in trouble, repent and ask God for forgiveness. Ask for His mercy. Psalm 34:6 says, âThis poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troublesâ (New King James Version). The phrase âThis poor manâ refers to David.
God has promised to forgive our sins if we repent. ââCome now, and let us reason together,â Says the LORD, âThough your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, They shall be as woolââ (Isaiah 1:18 New King James Version). The Apostle John says in 1 John 1:9 that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If your troubles were caused by your sins, God is merciful. He will abundantly pardon (Isaiah 55:7). In some cases, you may also need to ask for the forgiveness of those you wronged.
God will bring you out of your troubles. Amid troubles, donât listen to the devil that there is no way of escape for you. God will make a way for you. Psalm 34:19 says many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all. Cry to God in your troubles; donât end your life. Suicide shouldnât be an option.
Some troubles are because you have decided to go forward in life. When you take steps to advance in life, destiny, or career, you could begin to experience some troubles. In Mark 4:35, Jesus told His disciples, âLet us cross over to the other sideâ (New King James Version). But after they all left in the boat, a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat so that it was already filling with water. The disciples had to wake Jesus up from His sleep because they feared that could perish. The wind ceased after Jesus had commanded it to be still. There was a great calm (verses 38-39). I pray that every storm troubling your life shall be still in Jesusâ name.
Some troubles are not because of anything wrong that you have done. Paul told Timothy: âYou know how many troubles I have had as a result of my preaching the Good Newsâ (2 Timothy 3:11a The Living Bible). His troubles were destiny-related – the assignment God had given Him. Thatâs why he suffered all he suffered, not because he sinned.
Whatever may be the cause of your troubles, look up to God for comfort and deliverance. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 1:8-10, âWe think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue usâ (New Living Translation).
Did you see that Paul thought he wouldnât make it through the trouble that he talked about? Although the particular nature of the trouble is not mentioned, He thought that he would die. But when he stopped relying on himself and relied only on God, who raises the dead, He rescued him from danger. âThe righteous cry out, and the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troublesâ (Psalm 34:17 New King James Version).
God will rescue you, too. He will comfort you amid your troubles. Rely on Him. Paul tells us how God comforted him amid troubles in Macedonia. âFor indeed, when we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were troubled on every side. Outside were conflicts, inside were fears. Nevertheless God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titusâ (2 Corinthians 7:5-6 New King James Version).
There is hope for you amid your troubles. Rely on God. Cry to Him, even if your troubles are severe. Like the psalmist, you may be saying your soul is full of troubles, and your life draws near to the grave (Psalm 88:3). But look unto God. He will turn your situation around.
In Acts 27, the two hundred and seventy-five persons on the ship with Paul were in trouble and didnât eat for fourteen days because of violent battering from the storm. They thought they were going to die. Acts 27:20 says, âNow when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest beat on us, all hope that we would be saved was finally given upâ (New King James Version). However, because of Paul, God preserved the lives of everyone on the ship (verse 24).
God will comfort you amid your troubles. He is the God of all comfort. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says, âPraise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from Godâ (New International Version).
God will deliver you. Donât lose hope. Look unto Him. Cry to Him. He will comfort you and deliver you. God delivered Joseph from all his troubles. âAnd the patriarchs, becoming envious, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him and delivered him out of all his troubles, and gave him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his houseâ (Acts 7:9-10 New King James Version). Indeed, God also delivered him from the troubles caused by Potipharâs wife, who lied against him and he was put in prison.
God will comfort and deliver you amid your troubles. He will change your valley of trouble into a door of hope (Hosea 2:15). David said, âThough I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand Against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save meâ (Psalm 138:7 New King James Version). God will comfort and deliver you amid troubles.
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life â your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: Father, bring me safely through the troubles that surround me. Comfort and deliver me in my troubles. Save me from those who want to put me in trouble or cause trouble for me. I shall not board a ship with a âJonah â in Jesus’ name. Father, redeem Your children from all their troubles. Trouble those who trouble them and give Your children peace.
(For over 900 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org
  
  
  
  
