Week Fourteen - Distress and Glory

Sometimes a little devotion speaks volumes. A few weeks ago, as I was reading from Henry Blackaby's devotional, Experiencing God Day by Day, I had to take time to think and praise. Instead of telling you what he said, I'm just going to share this little three-paragraph devotion, and I believe you, too, will want to take time to think and let praise rise from your heart.

He writes, 

   "Did you know that you bring glory to God by calling upon Him when you are in distress? God promised He would deliver you if you turned to Him. You deny the Lord honor that is rightfully His every time you find yourself in difficulty and you fail to call upon Him for help! There may be times when God allows you to reach a point of need so that you can call upon Him, and thus let Him demonstrate to a watching world the difference He makes in the lives of His children. If God never allowed you to experience need, people around you might never have the opportunity to witness God's provision in the life of a Christan. If you never faced a shortfall, you might be tempted to feel self-sufficient and without any need of God in your daily life.
     Pride will tempt you to think that you do not need to seek God's assistance. Self-regard will seek to convince you that you can handle your dilemma through your own wisdom, resources, and hard work. Pride will also rob glory from God and seek to give it to you. Don't allow your pride to take what rightfully belongs to the Lord. Call upon your Lord and wait exclusively upon Him to rescue you. Then give Him the glory that He deserves.
    Self-sufficiency can greatly hinder our ability to experience God and bring Him honor. The next time you are in distress, turn to Him!"

I had never thought of trials in this way or of the idea that my calling upon the Lord when I was at my wit's end was a way of honoring Him. But in Psalm 50:15, God says, "Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me."

Dear friend, maybe we need to lay aside our self-sufficiency and pride and humbly lay our burdens at the cross. Perhaps we need to start thinking more about how our lives, as messy as they are, can be used to glorify God. Maybe we need to see that He loves to deliver! Let's not deny Him that pleasure!