Based on Psalm 85 (New King James Version)
“Lord, You have been favorable to Your land; You have brought back the captivity of Jacob. You have forgiven the iniquity of Your people; You have covered all their sin. Selah. You have taken away all Your wrath; You have turned from the fierceness of Your anger. Restore us, O God of our salvation, and cause Your anger toward us to cease. Will You be angry with us forever? Will You prolong Your anger to all generations? Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You? Show us Your mercy, Lord, and grant us Your salvation. I will hear what God the Lord will speak, for He will speak peace to His people and to His saints; but let them not turn back to folly. Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him, that glory may dwell in our land. Mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed. Truth shall spring out of the earth, and righteousness shall look down from heaven. Yes, the Lord will give what is good; and our land will yield its increase. Righteousness will go before Him, and shall make His footsteps our pathway.”
Do you feel quite troubled by your problems? Do you feel like there is no point to this life? Do you feel alone, even though you may be surrounded by people? You can’t enjoy life like you would like to? Do you feel empty inside? Do you feel like when you pray that your prayers are not going where they are supposed to? You don’t feel like praying or reading God’s Word very much? God doesn’t mean much to you these days? Well, this is common, and something can be done about it.
To start, one of the things that you must understand is that life should not be like that. There are many that ignore these problems thinking that this life cannot be perfect, and that this is normal. And of course, life here is not perfect, and it never can be either. But, you shouldn’t get used to things that are truly problems. You shouldn’t stay like that because it is critical that you fix it, for your own good. So then, the first step is recognizing that there is a problem. Because when you leave problems alone, they will not get fixed, but rather, they will get worse over time. Nothing gets fixed on its own. All problems need attention and action. What also must be kept in mind is that personal problems always become problems for everyone else. Every problem (big or small) affects the person that has the problem, and it will start to affect the people that surround them also. So then, you not only have to do something about it for your own good, but also, for the good of those that surround you.
Now then, the most important thing that must be seen is: the cause. What is it that makes us feel this way? The greatest challenge in being able to resolve a problem is being able to find the problem. And you can’t fix a problem by just dealing with the symptoms alone. For example, let’s suppose someone has strep throat (or a throat infection). The symptoms are very similar to influenza or a really bad cold. It comes with throat aches, fever, coughing, etc. Now, if the person takes things to treat the symptoms like cough syrups and pills to lower the fever and relieve headaches, all they are doing is just dealing with the symptoms, but they will never get better. The only way to deal with this sickness is by: visiting the doctor, doing different tests to see what is really happening, and to undergo treatment with strong antibiotics for many days. That’s the only way they will be healed. If a person keeps taking things to just alleviate symptoms, and that’s it, they will get worse with time, developing rheumatic fever, and possibly even death. But, all that can be avoided if they act, by getting to the root of the matter, and treating it effectively and energetically.
So then, what could the thing that causes some of these problems (or similar to them) that were mentioned at the beginning? Like it should be done with all things, it is necessary to be objective and sincere (and this is never easy because most people do not like being honest with themselves, preferring to lie to themselves). The Bible teaches this: “And God spoke all these words, saying: ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.’” Exodus 20:1-6. The greatest problem that exists in both the unbelievers and many so called “believers” is the problem of idolatry (everything that has priority over God). And this does not always involve statues or images, per se. By just simply putting our will before God’s will, we are committing the most contemptible of sins, before the eyes of God (I didn’t say this would be easy). God should be in first place in our lives. If the focus of your life is simply just you, or other things (whether they be your problems, worries, entertainment, etc.), then, those are idols. There are many gods, with different names, appearances, etc. And just in case, this is not the devil’s fault. The devil can tempt you, but he can never dethrone God in anyone’s life. That is your decision.
But, this can be changed. It is your decision. And here is where we can see God’s true love (not the love that has been falsely painted with the acceptance of sin, and abuse of God’s grace). For it is written: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9. “Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy.” Micah 7:18. If there are problems in your life, that is what God uses to bring you closer to Him. Because God says this: “When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.’” 2 Chronicles 7:13-14. “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” Acts 3:19. “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil.” Isaiah 1:16
Every personal revival starts with a change in heart, by seeing things just as they are, not excusing evil. God warns as follows: “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness.” Isaiah 5:20. If you want a true change in your life, change the way you think and give first place to God, because that is the only way that you can attain the joy, peace, and happiness that all of us need, which never depends on our circumstances. Have you had a change of heart so you can have a true revival? Lord bless! John