God's Promises, Day 1: The Lord is My Strength

Sometimes we just need reminders in life.  Reminders of the promises that God has spoken to us straight from God's Word.  It's so easy to be tempted with doubt when things in life get messy and I'm at a point in my life where I need those daily reminders.  My blog posts about FAITH are strictly based on my own personal walk with Jesus, but if you're at a point in your life where you also need some encouragement, join me for the next 14 days as I quote scripture focusing on God's promises to us! Today is Day 1, and I am reflecting on Psalm 28:7 "The Lord is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him."

Lets be honest for a minute.  This world can be cruel, and no matter how close you are to Christ, no matter how much you talk to Him, no matter how strong your faith is in Him, we are human and so sometimes it just hurts.  We've all heard the saying... you know, the one that people often think will magically make everything better..."Just give it to God."  Now that's not bad advice.  I believe we should go to God with all of our burdens.  But that doesn't instantly erase the pain.  What it does do, is allow us to lean on the One who's love is unchanging and unconditional.  It allows us to bring our brokenness to Him.  It's saying, "God, I am not strong enough to do this on my own, and I need your help", trusting that He is there even if we cannot feel His presence.  

Have you ever been through a particularly difficult time in life?  You know the one that leaves you feeling like you can't breathe?  I have, and I know it's not fun.  Too often, during these times, people turn to false sources of strength that provide temporary relief, a quick fix, focusing on instant gratification.  I know I've been guilty of that plenty of times.  Take alcohol, for example.  We all know that alcohol does nothing good for the body.  And does it really help to make anything better?  It gives people the false perception that it feels better in the moment, but all of that quickly fades away.  And after going that route time and time again, it ends up tearing you down, physically and mentally, instead of building you up.

When I'm really, really broken, I'll admit that turning to God still feels like a "quick fix", because once I get back into my daily routine, often those feelings of hurt and brokenness will start to creep its way back in.  But rather turning to a false source of strength to fix my problems, I know that turning to God is building me up every single time.  I know that when I finally come through that valley in life, I will be stronger than ever before, because I let God lead me out of it.  

So I can stand firm in God's promises, even during those difficult times in life, choosing to believe that "the Lord is my strength", that He is "my shield", and I will choose to ALWAYS trust in Him.