by Rev Robert A Wendel
“The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1 “Do not worry about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” Philippians 4:6.
Looking through my life of sermon illustrations, I read the following story. An old cowboy remembered “Hereford cattle taught me an important lesson. Winter storms took a heavy toll on the herds. Strong winds piled show into huge drifts. Most of the herd would turn their backs into the icy blasts. Herefords, however, would face the winds head-on and survive the season, teaching us humans to have courage to face life’s problems directly.”
Many people think living would be better if they had fewer problems. It’s easy to think of a place where no one has problems – the cemetery. Problems are a sign of life. I would risk saying that the more problems you have, the more alive you are. We might as well face the hard cold fact that you and I will have setbacks until we die. The story of Job says “Men (and women) are born into trouble.” (Job 5:7). The Gospel of John relates “In the world we will have tribulation.” (John 16:33).
The Bible also says “Be of good cheer! I have overcome the world.” This is what you and I can do. I want to assure you that we need fear no problems on earth, but with God’s help we can overcome them, however formidable they may appear to be. So don’t fear a problem – solve it. A psychologist is reported to have said “The chief duty of a human being is to endure life”
My father broke his arm when he was a teenager. To save his arm, doctors inserted a silver plate which pained him the rest of his life. To provide an example for his six children, he lived above his own circumstances, never letting on about his chronic discomfort. No matter the setbacks, he lived a meaningful life, regardless of his boyhood affliction. He mastered his personal problem, until his death at age 53 from cancer.
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale advised, “Never give up. Keep at it. Keep praying. Keep believing. Keep thinking until the answer comes. “Remember, the darkest hour is often just before the dawn.”