THE HARD PLACE -{Part 1}
The Hard Place is… HARD… but you are never alone, nor without His Word, nor without His Presence, Nor without His Promises, Nor without His Grace… Nor without His Love…nor without Himself with and… for you! And sometimes because you are in the HARD PLACE OR HAVE BEEN IN A HARD PLACE… you can compassionately comfort others in their hard place-{Read 2 Cor 1;3-4;} and be a means to comfort them when they are depressed {Read 2 Cor 7;6} And also to be the means to share the good news that they either come to know or as a believer is strengthened – but together they may LOVE and worship the LORD Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit has been gifted to us to teach us, comfort, strengthen, shape us and point us to the LORD Jesus. His Word is true in the pleasant times and in the Hard times. His promises are for you. Sometimes God Delivers us FROM the Hard place-{Read 2 Tim 4:17}. Sometimes God gives us the grace to remain IN the hard place.-{2 Cor 12:7-9}. That is His call. But be assured His Grace will empower, sustain and strengthen you in the HARD place. For He will not leave you, forget you no matter how much your feelings may say or circumstances” confirm.” At that moment you must rise with the Word of God and speak TRUTH to yourself of what He says!
Think of those in Scripture who were in THE HARD PLACE- Joseph- Daniel- David – Habbauk… Jesus – Paul -John on the isle of Patmos… and read their stories and be encouraged God did not abandon them. He did not save them FROM Troubles but was always with them IN their troubles. And we can read their stories and draw strength from the God who was- who is- and forever will be for He has said. “I the LORD do not change.” -{Malachi 3:6}
Recently I have been able to share with strangers about the LORD saving me and then sharing this thought with them, “and though He has not kept me FROM Troubles, I have never been alone IN my troubles!”- And it gets a response for all people are familiar with troubles and can identify. Oh, What a Friend we have in Jesus!
You are Loved – and nothing can separate you from the love of God. Nt even the HARD PLace as Romans 8:35-39; Romans 5:3-5 testify. Take time and read those passages, and may the Spirit of God strengthen, comfort, and equip you to go on, persevere depending upon and deriving from the LORD all you need, second by second, so as to help others who experience the hard place, and may you be one of God’s great “COMFORTERS” because He has comforted you and commissioned you to comfort others in their HARD PLACE as Cor 1:3-4 teaches! As these verses in 2 Cor 1:3-4 teach us, sometimes God uses THE HARD PLACE to equip us to be COMFORTERS to the CRUSHED!
It is often in THE HARD PLACE that our faith is DEVELOPED and like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and He puts Himself on DISPLAY to and through us that others might know Him!
There is a PROMISE to those who PERSEVERE in THE HARD PLACE; James 1:12 James says that those who persevere “Blessed” and promises “The Crown of Life” to them because they “Love Him!: Your Love is not unknown in Heaven- Great will be your Reward!- In the end, the HARD PLACE won’t rob you but develop your faith, and will be rewarded when you see Him Face to Face! The HARD PLACE is temporary- though it lasts a lifetime. Your future is bright for your Future is to be with Christ for all eternity!
Much Spiritual fruit- empathy, can be developed and displayed from and because of THE HARD PLACE, when God is looked to, relied upon, and trusted, even at times with tears, trembling, and broken heartedness. Your life counts, your failures, and sin do not have the final word- The Blood of our LORD Jesus is greater and we can begin afresh to TRUST Him and grow in grace and the knowledge of our LORD Jesus Christ and seek to LOVE God and LOVE OTHERS…. even in THE HARD PLACE! –