Not Yet the Hour
“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
Many are the troubles of the just man,
but out of them all the LORD delivers him.”Psalm 34:19-20
How true is it that the good suffer while the evil seemingly thrive and succeed. Perhaps we have seen this in the world around us or maybe even in our own personal lives. But the Lord reminds us that He is close to the brokenhearted and that although the just man has many troubles, from them all the Lord will deliver him. The Lord will, but perhaps not now because it may not yet be the hour.
It may be difficult to handle and endure when suffering comes our way. There may be a tremendous feeling of injustice especially when we are wronged and accused of something we may not have done. Or maybe our good intentions were twisted into something perverted or evil. We can never fully understand another person’s heart, for only God knows. But we must remember that the Lord is close to us. He is close to the brokenhearted and He will not allow us to go down in defeat. To the world, Jesus seemed to have lost the battle He was fighting. But little did they know that life would forever be changed. Life will no longer end in death, but rather in a life that will never end. Suffering, if united to Christ’s, will always bring about good fruit.
Brothers and sisters, if you are this moment suffering know that you are not alone. Remember that the Lord too suffered immensely, unjustly, but willingly. He endured the suffering because He knew that the Father will not let the suffering be in vain. He knew that the Father had a much bigger plan. So too is the same for us. We may need to continue to suffer for a while, for it might not yet be the hour from which we will be delivered from our sufferings and troubles. While we endure, we must offer it up, asking the Lord to grant us the wisdom to learn from it and also praying for those who may be inflicting this pain upon us. Have faith that the Lord is trustworthy, derive hope from His suffering, and know that His love prevails.
