Chapter 118th of the book of Psalms is a magnificent chapter showcasing God’s love, faithfulness, rescuing power, and providence. In this chapter the author has acknowledged God as his helper, refuge, protector, strength, salvation, and his source of victory over his enemies.
The author is testifying about God’s miraculous intervention in the midst of intense dangers and assaults from his enemies.
But one thing that stands out the most out of that chapter is the steadfastness God’s love.
His Love Endures Forever
Beloved, sometimes it can be really hard for us to wrap our thinking around the idea that God’s love for us is real, powerful, and eternal when we don’t really feel like it in the midst of life’s trials.
Life’s circumstances don’t always come into our lives in such a way that would create a reality in which we would feel His love in a tangible manner. Instead, life’s issues produce hard feelings that tend to make us start to think otherwise.
So we spend time reading the bible and learn that God is love by nature according to (1 John 4:8), but when we find ourselves being crushed by bad circumstances, when we feel like God is very far away, and when we feel like our prayers aren’t heard, we start wondering whether He really loves us as claimed.
To put all the confusions that we may have experienced to rest, being in a relationship or serving God isn’t based on our own human feelings, impressions, expectations or what can be seen with the naked eyes.
Our relationship with Him is based rather on principles found in His Word. In other words, it’s rested solely on embracing what He says within His Word, regardless of what our feelings would want us to believe in response to life’s dreadful situations.
God Himself desires for us to believe Him strictly on the ground of what He says in His Word.
Trusting God In Time Of Anguish
One thing that we need to realize is that our feelings are not what move God.
He is moved when we’re willing to place our trust in Him, regardless of how terrible the situation we’re dealing with is. The way that we feel should never supersede our willingness to exercise faith in Him on the basis of His promises.
That’s the reason why our walk with God is by faith not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Living by faith is to believe that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Moreover, living by faith is to look up to God by surrendering everything to Him.
Living by faith is to believe that our future is in His mighty hand, and He’ll always be there for us. We can either choose to believe what He says in relation to whom He claims Himself to be or just letting our human feelings to get the best of us.
This Is The Day
In that same chapter, the author made another joyful statement concerning how he stood in awe of how God spared him from His enemies by declaring:
This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24).
Whenever God has brought us out of a hopeless situation, it literally becomes a new day for us unlike the other days of the year.
So it depends on how hard we had been pressed by a particular struggle, that day is a day we may have not even expected to see.
Because when thinking about everything we had been through, those who stood against us, those who have rejected us, along with everything they had said against us, and God still intervenes and delivers us right before their own eyes.
What people think about you; their evil intents and actions against you have absolutely no impact on God’s plans for your life. Instead, that create a reality in which the power of God can be manifested if you’re willing to trust Him.
The longer a struggle goes on, the brighter and more joyful that very day will be when the Lord finally steps in. As a result, the more we’ll come to the realization that it wasn’t us but God.
We can find great comfort in knowing whatever situation that we find ourselves into that God wasn’t caught off guard. Meaning that He knew firsthand the very ones would have betrayed or stood us against us.
Nevertheless, He allows them to succeed with their schemes for a reason we may never know. In many cases, these individuals are those whom we know very well, and those whom we trust.
So our job is to let God do what we’re supposed to let Him do by trusting Him alone. We’re to let Him be whom He wants to be in our lives in face of adversity.
Our struggles can potentially become a way through which His power, goodness, greatness, providence, and faithfulness can be displayed plainly.
Lastly, God really wants to do something amazing in our lives that will cause us to stand in awe when that day comes in which we will joyfully declare, “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”