Luke 6:48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. (KJV)

Psalms 61:2  From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. (KJV)

Who do you run to in time of trouble?

Do you have friends in your life you call whenever something happens that hurts, upsets, or devastates you? There is a song that was sung in my church when I was little. The lyrics are:

Where do I go, when there’s nobody else to turn to? Who do I talk to, when nobody wants to listen? Who do I lean on, when there’s no foundation stable? I go to the rock. I know He’s able. I go to the rock. I go to the rock of my salvation. I go to the stone that the builders rejected. I run to the mountain and the mountain stands by me. When the earth all around me is sinking sand. On Christ the solid rock I stand. When I need a shelter. When I need a friend, I go to the rock. (I Go to The Rock, Dottie Rambo)

You may want to call your friends, however, you need to call on the Lord. To get to the place where you call on the Lord first, you must be diligent in your pursuit of Him. Here are some things you must do to seek Him and find Him. If you do these things, He will bring them back to your memory in times of trouble.

• Spend worship and celebration time with the Lord, don’t just go to Him when there is something wrong.
Hebrews 13:15 Through Him, therefore, let us constantly and at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name.

• Talk to Him about His faithfulness; as you remind Him, you will remind yourself.
Lamentations 3:22-23 How enduring is God’s loyal love; the Eternal has inexhaustible compassion. 23 Here they are, every morning, new! Your faithfulness, God, is as broad as the day. (The Voice TVT)

• Tell Him how you see Him in all of your circumstances, especially the difficult ones.
Romans 8:35a, 38-39 For nothing in the universe has the power to diminish his love toward us. Troubles, pressures, and problems are unable to come between us and heaven’s love. What about persecutions, deprivations, dangers, and death threats? No, for they are all impotent to hinder omnipotent love, 38 So now I live with the confidence that there is nothing in the universe with the power to separate us from God’s love. I’m convinced that his love will triumph over death, life’s troubles, fallen angels, or dark rulers in the heavens. There is nothing in our present or future circumstances that can weaken his love. 39 There is no power above us or beneath us—no power that could ever be found in the universe that can distance us from God’s passionate love, which is lavished upon us through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One! (The Passion Translation TPT)

• Establish the habit of spending consistent, dedicated time with God. You will keep your appointment with Him when times are good and continue to go to Him when things get tough.
Psalm 119:148 My eyes anticipate the night watches and I awake before the call of the watchman,
That I may meditate on Your word. (Amplified Bible AMP)

• Prayerfully read His Word. This time is in addition to the time you have set aside.
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (KJV)

• You are building a relationship, and that takes sacrifice.
Matthew 16:24-25 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If you truly want to follow me, you should at once completely reject and disown your own life. And you must be willing to share my cross and experience it as your own,[a] as you continually surrender to my ways. 25 For if you choose self-sacrifice and lose your lives for my glory, you will continually discover true life. But if you choose to keep your lives for yourselves, you will forfeit what you try to keep”. (The Passion Translation TPT)

The more you understand who God is; your expectations of God will be more accurate. As you make every attempt to keep your mind on God, the days when you feel overwhelmed will be fewer and fewer. You will instinctively draw near to God and tell Him your troubles.

Psalms 91:14-15 “If you’ll hold on to me for dear life,” says God, “I’ll get you out of any trouble. I’ll give you the best of care if you’ll only get to know and trust me. Call me and I’ll answer, be at your side in bad times; I’ll rescue you, then throw you a party”. (The Message)

Isn’t it great to tell the Divine Problem Solver your problems? If you’re like me, He will show you at what point you started working in your own strength and bring you back to center. He is an ever-present help.

Give praise as you pray to Jehovah Nissi [ja-hō-va nee-see ] (The LORD our Banner). He gives you victory in battle. When the enemy comes in like a flood, He raises a banner of His love over you and covers you.

Please agree with me as I pray:

Father, I am guilty of running to friends, family, mentor, or pastor in the time of trouble. I repent because that was the wrong thing to do. I am sorry for insulting You. That I would ask anyone but You what I should do is immature on my part. Though I was grateful they were there, often they simply could not help me. Sometimes they didn’t want to hear it because they have heard it all before or they were dealing with their own problems. Most times they didn’t have a solution for me, just a listening ear. Father, thank You for teaching me the minutes/hours I spent thinking about an issue or rehearsing a conversation, did not make things better. You are Jehovah Nissi. I should and will come to the One who gives me victory. You have the solutions. You help me stand. Though storms of life will rage, I have hope because You cover me and sustain me. The banner of Your power waves around me. My soul is anchored in You. No matter how dark a day has been or may be, You are the light of my life. Even when the situations passes, You will continue to sustain me because You are my Banner. It gives me great comfort…

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Ask the Lord what He wants to say to you about today’s devotional and journal His response as described here.