Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer
the righteous to be moved. –Psalm 55:22 (KJV)
I have begun to wonder about the drainage system
at the church parsonage where my family and I have lived for the last
17 and half years. The shower drain in particular is interesting.
For years, it drained perfectly, and then a few years ago it began backing
up regularly. I tried liquid drain cleaner, which would work for
a week or two, and then the problem reoccurred. We called a plumber
who ended up replacing a length of pipe in the basement and gave us
the assurance the problem would no longer trouble us. I tried
to hide what I knew was a suspicious look on my face, but I thanked
the plumber and told him we would call him if the problem happened again.
He confidently told us us it would not. “Okay, thanks.” I
said with a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. About a
week later, the shower drain started backing up again.
This time, rather than call the plumber I hit it
hard with liquid plumber, and again this did the trick for a while.
Bear with me now, because here is where the story takes an odd turn.
The drain began backing up again and we were so irritated we were about
to call the plumber. Then one morning while I was showering, I
heard the drain make an odd bubbling sound, then a sort of pop, and
as if by some miracle, the water began to drain smoothly. This was several
months ago and so far no drainage problems. Perhaps whatever was
causing the obstruction finally broke loose and the pipe became clear.
As I ponder this, I consider the trials and challenges
all of us must face. Often these difficulties leave us wondering
if we will ever overcome them and have the peace we so desire.
Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the weight of your struggles?
No doubt, you know what this feels like. God’s Word challenges
us to cast our burdens upon the Lord and He will sustain us. God
will give us strength, divine strength through faith in Jesus Christ,
to meet head on the problems coming our way. Some difficulties
will reoccur. These may come in the form of a rebellious child,
a difficult boss, a troublesome relative, or a recurring illness.
Whatever the problem may be, know that faith in Jesus Christ is our
greatest resource for facing and overcoming these challenges.
Walking daily by faith is a challenge as well.
Staying in God’s Word consistently also requires commitment.
Stay with it, my friend, and do not give up. When we are faithful,
about the time we think the problem or our weakness will not budge –
pop, we experience a breakthrough. This blessed and divine breakthrough
is by no means from us, but rather it is always from our Lord whose
loving hand is upon us all of the time.
Keep walking forward in faith and move toward a breakthrough,
which is victory over whatever trial you are facing.
God bless you today.
