When I was in worship one day following a particularly disappointing turn of events, the Lord gave this to me: “‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘Therefore I have hope in Him'” (Lam. 3:24, NASB).
This verse has served me well during the years when the dreadful “if onlys” threatened me. Surely, you’re familiar with them: “If only I were married.” “If only my dad were still here.” “If only things were different.”
Such musings are potentially very powerful in shaping a mood or mind-set. But praise God for the swift intervention of His counsel on those days!
When our circumstances appear to have gone against us, God will intervene. If we trust Him, He will not allow Satan to thwart His plans for us.
In his commentary, Matthew Henry makes these observations on the verse quoted above: “When I have lost all I have in the world–liberty, livelihood and almost life itself, yet I have not lost my interest in God….[T]herein I have enough; I have that which is sufficient to counterbalance all my troubles and make up all my losses.”
We are never at the mercy of our setbacks. Jesus Christ makes up the difference.
Even death has been swallowed up in the victory of the cross. There is balm for our hurts and a remedy for our ills because the Lord is good and always “causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28).
With the introduction of the Word, the storm in my spirit began clearing. The Holy Spirit told me to worship God. He also told me to talk to myself–to rehearse my testimony of His goodness in my life, recalling His all-sufficient grace and mercy.
The Lord will rescue us from our negative mental wanderings and set us back on the path of faith and hope. He is not a “just enough” portion; He is more than enough.
Our need to know the all-sufficiency of God is as individual as we are. Some of us may require a miracle of healing. Others may need wisdom or encouragement.
No matter the need, the supply is the same: God Himself. As a blessed friend reminded me recently, “He knows, cares and has an answer.”
The Scriptures tell us: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses” (Heb. 4:15, NIV). All our questions are answered in His Word, where we are confronted with truth regarding the nature of God.
David, in a psalm of praise to God, wrote that the Lord is at all times attentive, protective, gracious, merciful, good, faithful and loving (see Ps. 145). He is all that and more right now for you and me.
We need not allow any surprising turn of life to overtake us. The Lord, our rescuer, is near.
