Trusting God Through Life's Trials and Transitions

Devotional

Day 1: Honoring God in Every Season

Regardless of personal feelings or situations, God's worthiness is constant and He deserves honor and praise at all times. This is a reminder that our circumstances do not dictate God's worthiness of praise. Instead, they provide an opportunity for us to demonstrate our faith and trust in Him ([12:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EO8qR3S27Uo&t=750s)).

Psalm 34:1 - "I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth."

Reflection: How can you practice praising God in your current circumstances? What is one way you can remind yourself of God's worthiness throughout your day?

Day 2: Embracing God's Perspective Shifts

God often moves us from our current perspective to see what He is doing. These "sometime later" moments can lead to some of the greatest breakthroughs and revelations in our spiritual journey ([22:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EO8qR3S27Uo&t=1335s)).

Isaiah 55:8-9 - "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Reflection: Can you recall a recent "sometime later" moment where God shifted your perspective? How did this change impact your relationship with Him?

Day 3: Cultivating Intimacy with God

A personal and intimate relationship with God should be developed and nurtured through daily communication and walking with Him, not just turned to in times of crisis ([34:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EO8qR3S27Uo&t=2040s)).

Jeremiah 29:13 - "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

Reflection: What is one step you can take today to deepen your relationship with God? How can you make this a daily habit?

Day 4: Trusting God in the Midst of Trials

Even in the face of great challenges, like the death of the Widow's son, we are called to trust in God and His plan ([45:50](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EO8qR3S27Uo&t=2735s)).

Psalm 56:3 - "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you."

Reflection: What current challenge in your life requires you to trust God more deeply? How can you actively choose to trust Him in this situation?

Day 5: Standing Firm Amidst Life's Waves

Life can sometimes hit us from every side, but through it all, we must learn to stand firm in our faith and trust in God ([58:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EO8qR3S27Uo&t=3485s)).

1 Corinthians 16:13 - "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong."

Reflection: What does standing firm in your faith look like in your current circumstances? What is one practical way you can demonstrate this today?

Sermon Summary

The sermon emphasizes the importance of praising God in all circumstances, recognizing His worthiness regardless of personal feelings or situations. The pastor encourages the congregation to pray for the peace of Israel, mourn with those who have lost, and draw closer to Christ in these troubled times. The sermon then transitions to a series on the prophet Elijah, highlighting the significance of "sometime later" moments in our lives where God moves us from our current perspective to see what He is doing. The pastor uses Elijah's obedience to God's command to proclaim a drought and his time of waiting by the brook, where he learned to trust the Lord for his daily needs, as an example.

The pastor then addresses the importance of having a personal and intimate relationship with God, using Elijah as an example. He warns that many churches are in trouble because their members lack this kind of relationship with God, relying on others such as preachers, board members, or Sunday school teachers instead of turning to God first in times of crisis. The pastor encourages the congregation to be honest with God and to develop a deep friendship and relationship with Him before a crisis hits.

The pastor shares a personal story about receiving a phone call from someone who was worried about a pimple. He uses this story to illustrate the importance of showing compassion and responding with calmness and trust in God during challenging times. He then relates this to the biblical account of Elijah living with a woman and her son for two years, emphasizing the importance of having a personal relationship with God.

The pastor reflects on the story of Elijah and the Widow from the Bible, recounting how the Widow trusted Elijah and his God by preparing a meal for him first, resulting in God providing for her and her son. However, when the Widow's son becomes sick and eventually dies, the pastor imagines the grief and anguish that Elijah must have felt. He shares a personal anecdote about his own experience as a youth pastor, highlighting the difficulty of saying goodbye to the young people he worked with.

The pastor shares another personal story about a man who goes into a wave pool with his daughter, using this experience to illustrate the ups and downs of life. He relates this to the biblical account of Elijah, who teaches us how to stand in the midst of life's trials and disasters. The pastor references a specific passage from 1 Kings 17 where Elijah encounters a widow whose son becomes ill and eventually dies, emphasizing the importance of trusting in God during challenging times.

Key Takeaways

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Sermon Clips

1. "Worthy is the Lamb, yes Lord You Are worthy, worthy in all things. Lord, when we are in the Mountaintop we will praise you, God. When we are in the depth of the valley we will praise you harder because it doesn't matter on our circumstances father or how we feel, you're deserving of our praise and our honor." [19:30]

2. "Sometimes you and I need something that will move us from our particular perspective so that we can see what God's up to... some of the greatest moments in our lives can happen in a sometime later." [32:52]

3. "He risked his life to proclaim to King Ahab that the Lord, the God of Israel, says that there'll be no rain, no water until he says it's going to happen... he learned to trust the Lord to meet his daily needs." [33:35]

4. "Our churches are in trouble because we're full of people who don't have that kind of relationship with God. When theum hits the fan, we call the preacher, we call the board member, we call the Sunday school teacher, we call the Deacon. The first call we should make is to God on high." [41:38]

5. "If we're going to glean these truths this morning, we have to understand that it starts by having a personal intimate relationship with God, walking with Him every single day. It starts by having a friendship and a relationship that happens before the crisis because if we wait till the crisis hits, we're screwed." [42:20]

6. "Sometimes life can seem like it's hitting us from every side so fast and so hard that we don't have a chance to get up." [29:57]

7. "I want to continue talking about a man who taught us by his example how to stand in the midst of life's trials and disasters." [31:27]

8. "It was there that Elijah asked her to trust him and to trust his God by preparing him a meal and serving him first and you remember the Widow obeyed and God met her needs." [34:58]

9. "Sometime later after life has done what life is going to do after the ups and the downs and the ins and the outs and all of this stuff happens life throws this Widow and life throws Elijah a major curve." [35:44]

10. "I can only imagine that Elijah was up in the upper room and he heard this blood curdling scream of this Widow and he runs out to see what's going on and this Widow lashes out at him." [36:28]

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