“And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me” (Psalm 50:15).
A poster read:
A prayer to be said when the world has gotten you down and you feel rotten, and you’re too tired to pray, and you’re in a big hurry, and besides that, you’re mad at everybody…. “HELP!”
I’m sure we’ve all found ourselves in situations where we wanted to cry “Help!” In James 1:1-4, the writer reminds us that trials are inevitable and unavoidable. The question is not what to do if trials come, but what to do when trials come. And what does James tell us to do? James tells us that we should ask God for wisdom and believe that He will give it to us (James 1:5-8).
You might be thinking to yourself, “That seems like a strange thing to ask for when you’re neck-deep in trouble and affliction. I think I like the prayer for ‘help’ better!” Yet wisdom, the God-given insight to see situations from God’s perspective, is exactly what we need when we are facing trials. Without God’s wisdom, we will not be able to understand these trials or respond to them properly.
Andrew Murray was a Dutch Reformed pastor who ministered in South Africa. His emphasis was on prayer and the deeper life, but he also had a burden for missions. He was in great demand as a conference speaker. Andrew Murray was going through a personal trial, and while he was eating breakfast one day a woman called on him, wanting to know if he could give her any advice regarding a trial she was experiencing. She was given a piece of paper on which Andrew Murray had written the following words he had penned for himself:
“In time of trouble say, ‘First, He brought me here. It is by His will I am in this strait place; in that I will rest.’ Next, ‘He will keep me in His love, and give me grace in this trial to behave as His child.’ Then, ‘He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me the lessons He intends me to learn, and working in me the grace He means to bestow.’ Last, ‘In His good time He can bring me out again. How and when He knows.’ Therefore, ‘I am here (1) By God’s appointment, (2) In His keeping, (3) Under His training, (4) For His time.'”
It sounds to me that Andrew Murray had asked God for wisdom concerning his trial and had received that wisdom. Are you going through a trial today? Then ask God for wisdom that will enable you to see your trial from God’s point of view. And when you begin to see things from God’s perspective, you will face your trouble with a different attitude.