Give God Another Chance --- What Do I Do When it Hurts?Why Don’t You Give God Another Chance?
Pastor Rory Clark Barah Ministries www.barahministires.com
Hi there!
My name is Rory Clark and I am the Pastor of Barah Ministries…a worldwide Christian Church based in Mesa, AZ
I have a question for you…
Why Don’t You Give God Another Chance?
That’s the focus of these ten-minute lessons. You can give God another chance.
TODAY’S LESSON What Do I Do When it Hurts?
I was talking to a friend the other day, and quite unexpectedly he confided in me about his marriage relationship. He said, “I love my son. I really love my son. My daughter? Yeah…we get along okay. But if it wasn’t for my son, I’d be divorced. I guarantee it. My marriage is dead. I stay in the marriage because I want to be there for my son.”
I was impressed with the ease of his openness about a painful subject. He is a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, so to offer a bit of comfort, I reminded him of a couple of my favorite bible verse during times of trouble…First Peter, Chapter 5, Verses 6 and 7…
First Peter 5:6-7 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your cares on Him, because He cares for you.
First Peter, Chapter 5, Verse 10…
First Peter 5:10 After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.
He thanked me for the reminder. Then he said something really interesting. He said, “What am I supposed to do when it hurts like this? I thought that when I became a Christian all my problems were going to be solved. I guess not.”
I felt for him.
It’s a question we all have, isn’t it? What do I do when it hurts? Stevie Wonder recommended a remedy in one of His songs…
Stevie Wonder Songs in the Key of Life Have a Talk with God
When you feel your life’s too hard Just go have a talk with God
There are some problems that are just too big for us as human beings. That’s the time where God comes in handy. Our God, the Lord Jesus Christ, is not human. In spite of all the efforts of man, and in spite of all the efforts of God’s enemy, Satan, to reduce our God to a series of weak human characteristics, He is not human.
What you need to know, is that God cares for you…that’s what it says in First Peter, Chapter 5, Verses 6 and 7…
First Peter 5:6-7 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your cares on Him, because He cares for you.
What “God Cares For You” means, is that God considers your problems to be His responsibility. Here’s the rub…when God cares for you, He allows you to go through times that you will consider tough. In Second Corinthians, Chapter 11, Verses 24 to 29, the apostle Paul describes some of those things…
Second Corinthians 11:24 Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes.
Second Corinthians 11:25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep.
Second Corinthians 11:26 I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren…
Second Corinthians 11:27 I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.
Second Corinthians 11:28 Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches.
Second Corinthians 11:29 Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern?
Paul encountered quite a few trials during his missionary journeys. Each of you has your own list of trials. I’d wager that none are quite as severe as Paul’s. For my friend, a dead marriage had him hurting to the depth of his soul. His question…
What am I supposed to do when it hurts like this?
Let God handle it. Don’t try to handle it yourself.
I think we can agree that a troubled marriage isn’t quite as tough a challenge as some of the things Paul faced. It hurts nonetheless. But the Lord wants to handle all your problems, including your marriage problems, and while you endure the challenges, they get you prepared to take on more intense challenges, which your life will be filled with.
What does “let God handle it” really mean? It means that God wants us to count on Him for everything, so no matter how bad anything gets, we know that He can repair anything. When we stand and look at our problems, many times there just doesn’t seem to be a solution. God always has the solution. He wants us to have faith in Him. He wants us to have hope in Him. Philippians, Chapter 4, Verses 11 to 13…
Philippians 4:11 Not that I (Paul) speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.
Philippians 4:12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
What do we do when it hurts? Count on Him…give our problems to Him…go talk to Him…then stand back and watch Him deliver us from the problem. Moses gave this advice to the Jews who were escaping the captivity of the Egyptians…in Exodus, Chapter 14, Verse 13…
Exodus 14:13 But Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today.”
The Lord Jesus Christ is ready to do the same thing for you if you let Him, especially when it hurts.
If you like these short lessons, visit our website at www.barahministries.com. That’s www.B-A-R-A-H-ministries.com We have two different one hour lessons per week to edify your spiritual life. Please join us. And keep on giving God another chance. I’m Pastor Rory Clark.
Pastor Rory Clark Barah Ministries
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