Do you ever feel overwhelmed? I guess that could be a rhetorical question. Of course, we have all felt overwhelmed! One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Nahum 1:7. “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble;And he knoweth them that trust in him.“
Here are three truths about our LORD that we can remember when we are feeling it.
Our LORD is endlessly good. There is never a time when He will stop being good. Even the troubles and trials that we face, He is actively working together for good. Can you say out loud, “My God is good to me.”
Our LORD is the most dependable shelter for me. Maybe you have seen the “safe place” signs on a store, police department or firehouse. The sign indicates a place of shelter to those in trouble. Our LORD is our shelter in every trial, storm and season of overwhelm.
Our LORD knows those who are depending on Him. The LORD is personally aware of those that are trusting Him to show up in their situations. When we are facing life’s worst and we turn to God in prayer, our LORD knows that. When we remain faithful in the midst of opposition, our LORD knows that. We can praise Him for being so aware!
May the LORD strengthen you as you consider these simple, powerful truths.
When it comes to grief, sometimes it is impossible to sympathize with a person because you have not experienced the same level of grief. We can and should be empathetic and weep with those that weep. While we may be limited in our ability to comfort, our Savior is not. Scripture tells us that Jesus is acquainted with all our griefs and that He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. He is the God of all comfort and gave us His Holy Spirit Who is our constant companion and He is called the Comforter. When we go through trials, suffering and pain, He is there to reassure and renew us.
God promises in Romans 8:28 that He is working all things together for good to the that love Him. Through difficult times, God is developing us and our relationship with Him. He is developing endurance, experience and confident expectation in His ability and goodness. (Romans 5:1-5)
I have faced some difficult times and hurt both in life and pastoral ministry that made me wonder how I could go on and if I would ever feel normal again. I have experienced numbness and even depression.
After a particularly difficult season of ministry, I noted a hollowness had developed in my soul stemming from all the hurt. I was not sure which direction the next hurt would be hurled. Sometimes I felt like I was shellshocked though I have never experienced the trauma of war.
As I sought my Heavenly for grace to help in time of need, He sent Robert to pray with me on the lawn of the Ohio State House while I was attending an event just a couple weeks before my family and I were to take our family vacation. During our brief conversation, Robert must have noted the burden of heart I was carrying and he prayed that God would lead me into shady green pastures and restore my soul. His prayer was overwhelmingly meaningful to me seeing that we could be staying at a cabin in the grounds of Shady Green Pastures Bible Camp during our family vacation.
Little did I know all the comfort the Lord had in store for me. While traveling, we stopped in at an unassuming used book store. The front of the store was filled with books that were of no interest to me, but I continued to meander through till I found the religious sectioned. Nestled between the free used Bibles and a comedy of Christianized self-help books, a little book with light brown and pink cover caught my eye—The Sweet Side of Suffering. Honestly, the title caused a brief reaction in my heart. Is there actually a sweet side of suffering? How could the hurt and heavy heart that I was carrying have a sweet side? I started to put the book back, but could not. It had intrigued and once I read the introduction, the Holy Spirit impressed on my heart that this book was something my Heavenly Father had for me during our vacation.
For the next week and a half, my God used that book and the testimony of Esther Lovejoy to minister comfort to my heart. Each chapter detailed in a devotional way the sweetness of God that can be seen and experienced in our suffering. As I read and meditated on the Scriptures given, the illustrations and the testimony of God’s unfailing love through the valley of the shadow of death God restored my soul in shady green pastures.
Recently, I preached a message at Grace Baptist Church entitled Hope for the Hurting where I shared this story as part of the message.
In retrospect, I have learned that in my times of deepest hurt, hollowness and even depression, my Lord is right beside me working to develop in me endurance, experience and confident expectation in Him. He is ministering comfort to my soul so that He can use me to minister comfort to other hurting souls.
If this post finds you hurting and depressed, may I encourage you to pause and realize that your Heavenly Father has not abandoned you. Jesus is acquainted with your grief. The Holy Spirit is working to bring comfort to your soul. Be careful not to make life-changing decisions, but wait on the Lord to bring comfort right were you are. Hurt in our hearts will remain in our heart as a heavy burden no matter where we go until we find comfort in the God of all comfort. Often is these times Satan endeavors to keep us focused on removing the hurt we feel rather than running to our Helper. True help and healing only comes from God.
Psalm 43:5 says, ”Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope in God: For I shall yet praise him, Who is the health of my countenance, and my God.“
My prayer is that God will lead you into shady green pastures and restore your soul.
It is hard to describe the work God did in our hearts during our Winter Revival and I praise Him for it! He used the clarity of His Word to instruct and encourage us as a church family to see our personal responsibility to reach the world for Jesus Christ. I appreciate the friendship of Bro. Kory Mears and the work that God has done both in and through his life. I was deeply moved by the message on the leading of the Holy Spirit in Missions. My wife and I were encouraged by the prayer and support of our church family as they sent us off on a journey to encourage and minister along side of some of our missionary partners. I am praying that God will use Grace Baptist Church to take the Gospel into all the world.
If you would like to listen to the messages, here are the links. May God use them to inspire you to give your life for Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Recently, my pastor, Don Williams, sent me this picture of me helping collate Bibles. Growing up, our church was involved in the Scripture ministry. We would collate, bind and prepare John and Romans, New Testaments and sometimes Bibles for different languages around the world. What a worthwhile endeavor! As a family, we would involve ourselves regularly in this process.
Looking back, I am thankful for my parents, Jim and Dawn Kagin, who made church, the faith of our pastor and the work of the Lord a priority in our lives. Some good activities were sacrificed in order for our family to serve the Lord in this way. I am thankful for a pastor who provided opportunities to serve the Lord in and through the local church. As a young man I really enjoyed spending time with him in the printshop and helping in the with the Scripture ministry. My parents encouraged me to be a help to my pastor and I owe so much to his influence in my life.
Parents and grandparents, never underestimate the influence of your priority choices today! Align your priorities with Christ’s priority — serving others and doing the will of God.
“So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his Lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.” (John 13:12-17)
Pastors from across the country join in singing How Great Thou Art in the Rotunda of the United States Capital on March 28, 2023.
Recently, my wife and I had the great privilege of gathering with pastors from across the country for the Faith Wins national pastors’ summit. Beyond the amazing, talented speakers that presented and the enthusiastic leadership of Chad Connelly, the night tour of the United States Capital building was the highlight! We were led by historian David Barton, United States Representative Mike Johnson (Louisiana), Former Congressman Bob McEwen (Ohio) and Senator Tim Scott (South Carolina). It was a truly inspiring evening. After being reminded of our rich history as a nation, being prayed over by Senator Tim Scott on the floor of the House of Representatives, and realizing God’s rich and undeniable blessings upon our country, we sang Amazing Grace and How Great Thou Art in the Rotunda. What a moment of worship!
While we have strayed so far from God as a nation, I am thankful for God allowing me to be a citizen of this great nation. I firmly believe that the answer to our present situation as a nation is returning to God. Psalm 33:12 says, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD…” We cannot persist in our denial of God’s Truth and our national accountability to Him and expect to experience the blessings that were once so abundant.
The words of Senator Tim Scott on the floor of the House of Representatives continue to ring in my ears. “Pastors, you are the last line of defense for our nation. You hold the highest office in our land.” He exhorted us to stand for truth and then prayed over us. That was a surreal moment for me as a pastor. Many pastors have become so isolated from what is going on all around them that they have little to no influence on the leaders of society. I pray for a spiritual revival of the watchmen across our land.
“Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.”
Throughout Scripture, you will find that the kings had prophets that God assigned to them to be ambassadors of His truth. David had Nathan. Ahab had Elijah. Herod had John. The list goes on! Today should be no different. How can we expect elected officials to make good and godly decisions if the only voices they hear are that of the ungodly. I implore pastors to reach out and build relationships with your city, state and national elected officials. Do this with humility and compassion. They are people with much weight on their shoulders. They have struggles, fears and burdens just like everyone else. Pray for them. Lead your congregation to pray for them. Let them know you are praying for them and also seek opportunities to pray with them. Don’t forget, they need your witness of Jesus Christ like everyone else in your community.
Let’s be salt and light in every arena of our lives including in our government for the glory of God.
“Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.” (Ephesians 6:16)
We should be aware that satan has fiery darts with your name on them each day. However, God has given you a piece of armor to stop EVERY ONE of them, the shield of faith. Faith is total trust and dependence upon God. It is taking God at His Word. In this case, it is in full faith using the very truth of God’s Word as a shield from the darts that satan will throw at you. The words “above all” indicates to us that the shield of faith is a high-priority piece of armor.
Let’s think about how this would look in our daily lives. As you get in the car to leave for work, satan throws a dart of worthlessness at you. He tells you that you are of no value to God. Do you believe it? Does he get to write your reality? He should not! Instead of meditating on that dart satan has thrown, go to the Bible and see what God says about you. God says that those who are in Christ are indwelt by the Spirit of God and ARE the children of God. He says that His children are His workmanship, His masterpiece, His work of art. God views you as valuable! By faith hold God’s truth up as a shield against that dart of worthlessness.
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1)
“The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:” (Romans 8:16)
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)
Every person is intrinsically valuable to God because He created them. Even though man sinned against Him and is separated from Him, God valued a relationship with mankind so much that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die in place of man. Jesus did not just die but rose again. He offers all who will believe on His name the total forgiveness of sin and eternal life. God thinks you are valuable!
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17)
Now it is time to take the shield of faith up in your hands!
Josiah Kagin 