WHEN YOU’RE IN A SEASON OF STRUGGLE AND WEEPING, KEEP THIS  SPIRIT: “I KNOW JOY IS COMING. GOD IS ABOUT TO AMAZE ME.”

29/10/24

GOSPEL CORNER

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD

Today’s Scripture
Jesus wept.
John 11:35, NIV

AMAZING
One of the beauties of our God is that He feels what we feel. When Jesus saw Mary and Martha weeping over the death of their brother, Lazarus, “Jesus wept.” He was “deeply moved in spirit and troubled” by their tears. He could feel their heartbreak, their sorrow. There are times when life throws us such a blow that all we can do is weep. What’s interesting is that Jesus already knew He was going to raise Lazarus, yet He entered into their sorrow and began to weep with them. Know this: When you weep, God weeps. When you’re heartbroken, God feels it. When you don’t think you can go on, when you feel overwhelmed, God is right there with you. The Scripture says, “He is close to the brokenhearted.”

God used sorrow to prepare Mary and Martha for something amazing—a resurrection. Tears of sorrow gave way to tears of joy, laughter, and celebration. When you’re in a season of struggle and weeping, keep this promise in your spirit: “I know joy is coming. God is about to amaze me.”

A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that I never have to wonder about Your unconditional love for me even in the most difficult times. Thank You that You feel what I feel, You weep when I weep, and You are always for me. I declare that I am going to live securely, knowing that You always amaze me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler. Not “maybe” or “sometimes,” but an unqualified “surely.” Not a conditional “He might” but a definitive “He shall.” What blessed assurance we have that our God will deliver us from the snare of the fowler!

The Bible depicts the devil as a fowler. A fowler is a professional bird catcher. He lays traps and carefully conceals them so that he can ambush unsuspecting birds. The Bible also depicts the devil as a thief and murderer who comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10).

What we need to understand is that the world we live in is a fallen world. Adam committed high treason and gave the keys of this world to the devil. Because of what Adam did, the devil is the ruler of this world. The apostle Paul calls him “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2).

That is why as long as the devil is still the ruler of this world, the world will continue to get darker and darker and there will continue to be accidents, sicknesses, calamities, tragedies, and deaths.

But we can rejoice in the knowledge that the devil’s lease on this world is quickly running out. Apostle Paul also tells us that our Lord Jesus is coming back and all His enemies will be humbled or put under His feet, with death as the last enemy to be destroyed (1 Cor. 15:26).

In the meantime, we will see the world getting darker and darker. But as believers, we do not need to live in fear. Our trust is in our Lord Jesus. We are in this world, but we are not of this world (John 17:16).

There is a very real and active fowler that is setting up snares. Even as I write this, I’m reading and hearing reports of bombs going off, shootings, a commercial airplane crashing upon landing, and viral outbreaks in different parts of the world.

In the natural, this can be extremely disheartening. But don’t forget that we have a Savior who is even more real, and He has promised to deliver us from the snare of the fowler and from perilous pestilences.

The bottom-line is, we need to realize how much we need our Savior and His protection daily. We need to involve the Lord Jesus in our lives every day. Only He can deliver us and keep us safe!