God bless you!

¹ The LORD is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?
² When the wicked came against me
To eat up my flesh,
My enemies and foes,
They stumbled and fell.
³ Though an army may encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear;
Though war may rise against me,
In this I will be confident.
(Psalm 27:1-3, New King James Version)
*********************************

¹³ I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the LORD
In the land of the living.

¹⁴ Wait on the LORD;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the LORD! (Psalm 27:13-14, New King James Version)

⁴ I sought the LORD, and He heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
⁵ They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces were not ashamed.
⁶ This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him,
And saved him out of all his troubles.
⁷ The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him,
And delivers them.

⁸ Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
⁹ Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints!
There is no want to those who fear Him.
¹⁰ The young lions lack and suffer hunger;
But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.
(Psalm 34:4-10, New King James Version)
*********************************

¹⁵ The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,
And His ears are open to their cry.
¹⁶ The face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

¹⁷ The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears,
And delivers them out of all their troubles.
¹⁸ The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart,
And saves such as have a contrite spirit.
(Psalm 34:15-18, New King James Version)
*********************************
¹ Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
² For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
And wither as the green herb.

³ Trust in the LORD, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
⁴ Delight yourself also in the LORD,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

⁵ Commit your way to the LORD,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.
⁶ He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
And your justice as the noonday.

⁷ Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
⁸ Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
Do not fret—it only causes harm.
(Psalm 37:1-8, New King James Version)
*********************************
¹ God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
² Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
³ Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling.  Selah
(Psalm 46:1-3, New King James Version
*********************************
³ Whenever I am afraid,
I will trust in You.
⁴ In God (I will praise His word),
In God I have put my trust;
I will not fear.
What can flesh do to me?
(Psalm 56:3-4, New King James Version)
*********************************
¹ Hear my cry, O God;
Attend to my prayer.
² From the end of the earth I will cry to You,
When my heart is overwhelmed;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

³ For You have been a shelter for me,
A strong tower from the enemy.
⁴ I will abide in Your tabernacle forever;
I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.  Selah

⁵ For You, O God, have heard my vows;
You have given me the heritage of those who fear Your name.
⁶ You will prolong the king’s life,
His years as many generations.
⁷ He shall abide before God forever.
Oh, prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him!

⁸ So I will sing praise to Your name forever,
That I may daily perform my vows. (Psalm 61, New King James Version)
*********************************
³ You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You.
(Isaiah 26:3, New King James Version)
*********************************
¹⁰ Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
(Isaiah 41:10, New King James Version)
*********************************
² When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.
(Isaiah 43:2, New King James Version)
*********************************
²⁵ “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
²⁸ “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; ²⁹ and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
³¹ “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matthew 6:25-34, New King James Version)
*********************************
²⁸ Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30, New King James Version)
*********************************
⁸ We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— (2 Corinthians 4:8-9, New King James Version)
*********************************
¹⁶ Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, ¹⁸ while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18, New King James Version)
*********************************
⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7, New King James Version)
*********************************
⁷ casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
(1 Peter 5:7, New King James Version)
*********************************

Life is sure to throw many curve balls at us. We will experience grief, suffering, illnesses, broken hearts, disappointments, uncertainty and many other forms of physical and emotional pain. Can one be joyful in all circumstances? The answer is a resounding YES!! Let us look at one of the many inspirational bible verses that remind us why this is so true.

“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love . Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:6-9)

So why do we rejoice? Let us look at some of the truths about our trial.

No trial lasts forever and in the scale of eternity is a fleeting moment. The trial, the difficult season is “for a little while”. While we are in the trial, we may be tempted to groan and ask “How long Lord?” The Apostle Paul describes trouble as “light affliction, which is but for a moment” (2 Corinthians 4:17a).

Our God is good, is sovereign and is love, and He only allows the trials that are necessary for our eternal good. Difficulties are not indiscriminately allowed to hit us. We encounter these challenges “if need be”.

This does not mean that we will zip through the trial clicking our heels. We will experience pain and grief. We will still be “grieved by various trials”.The King James Version describes it as “heaviness”.

These trials prove out and strengthen our faith. Our faith brings us an eternal treasure whereas the trials and all earthly treasures and comforts will pass away. Our momentary light afflictions are “working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:17b). Our treasure is Christ and as we go through the trials we keep our eyes on Him, knowing He will see us through, and we look forward to the day of glory when we will see Him face to face. Keeping our focus on Him, on the prize that is ahead, we rejoice with “joy inexpressible”!

This joy is only yours if you have a personal relationship with Christ. A life apart from Christ is meaningless and ends in destruction. You need a relationship with Christ. Discover the wonderful treasures that are to be had when you accept Him as Lord and Savior.