sicknesses

DOESN’T JESUS CARE?

(January 28, 2024) Maureen McQuillan shares encouragement…

Oh yes, Jesus cares!

And yes, there are times in life when Christians may wonder if He has heard our prayers, our cries regarding some serious matter, something that’s gone wrong. We just have to keep trusting Him, believing that He has heard us, knows what’s amiss and that the answers we need will come our way. And knowing that He cares!

The reality is, and I’ll be honest here, being a Christian doesn’t mean we will always live an unchallenged, carefree life. Yes, we will have a good life, sins forgiven and an assurance that we’re heaven-bound. But… presently we’re still here and things can go wrong, even to God’s spiritual children! Accidents, sicknesses, disappointments, marriage and family troubles, sudden loss of loved ones, even disasters.

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DAVID’S SIXTH SYMPHONY

(January 27, 2023) Brian Bell reminds us that in anxious times the Christian’s confidence is in our God…

I am taking a little poetic licence here in describing Psalm six by using this musical term, but it is also one of those psalms in which David mentions the name of stringed instruments to which the psalm should be accompanied.

Movement #1 (v1-5)
What often encourages me as I read the psalms is their honesty – I remind myself the words are spoken/written not in private prayer but for public worship in their context as songs, so they make honest references –

  • To weakness, pain (agony), sickness, helplessness (verses 2 and 3).
  • To help… ‘rescue me, save me’ (verse 4NLT).

Movement #2 (v 6-7)
David says, ‘I am worn out by sobbing, every night tears drench my bed, my pillow is wet from weeping….’

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YOUR MOURNING WILL TURN INTO JOY!

(November 18, 2022) S. Sam Selva Raj encourages troubled hearts…

During times of adversity, when we ask friends or doctors for counsel, they may console us by saying, ‘Don’t worry, everything will be all right.’  Comforting words… but we can receive even greater comfort from God!

But, when we experience times of sorrow, pain and affliction, and our problems multiply, we can lose hope.

  • We shouldn’t… but it can happen.
  • If we’re not clear about God’s leading in our lives, we can worry much.
  • Contemplating some sorrowful event, we could wrongly think, ‘Has this happened without God’s knowledge?’ 

We must remember that nothing happens in our lives without God knowing! If we trust Him, our present sorrow will surely be turned into joy!

So don’t be afraid!
Jesus spoke about sorrow and weeping in John 16, adding in verse 20, ‘… your sorrow will be turned into joy.’ He also promised in Matthew 5:4, ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.’

We might think that blessed people are those who enjoy all sorts of material comforts. But the Lord says that even those who mourn are blessed! He who knows everything, knows that He can turn our mourning into joy!

Sorrows may arise due to unemployment, sickness, lack of money, problems at work or in the family, worries about the future, and so on. Whatever our sorrow, the Lord says that all of us who pass through such difficult times are blessed and that we shall be comforted, difficult situations being turn into joyful ones.

Although promised this a long time ago, this is still relevant today! Henceforth be happy and rejoice. ‘Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time’ declares 1 Peter 5:6.

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