Words from the Lord:
"In the situation you are facing right now, let not your heart be troubled, and let not your heart be anxious. Cast all your cares and worries to Me, for I am the Lord who cares for you. You shall see the light at the end of your tunnel. You shall see My hand healing you and guiding you. You shall see My hand opening a way for you."
What does 'light at the end of the tunnel' mean?
- signs of an improvement in a situation that has been bad.
- signs that a long and difficult time is coming to an end.
- a reason to believe that a bad situation is coming to an end.
Maybe you are going through a tough time right now. Or you aren't sure how things are going to work out in your life. Or how things are going to be solved in your life. Maybe you are facing an uncertain future. Maybe you do not know how your future is going to be like.
Whatever you are going through at the moment, whether it's a big change in your life, or a difficult time for your family, or a financial situation, or a health situation, I have a good news for you. You can look to God, and you can find light and hope in the Lord your God!
You see, this world can be a cruel world. It is a rat-race. It is a 'winner-takes-all' world. It is a 'big fish eat small fish' world. It is a world that judges according to the outward appearance. It is a world that judges according to one's outward performance or achievements. The world gives you the accolades according to how 'big' you are, how 'big' your organization is, or how many 'followers' you have. This is a world of 'perking things up'. In fact, many things you see in this world are fake. It is just for show. It is a world full of facade. What you see in the outside may not be what it really is in the inside. Maybe you have seen too much of all this, and you are getting tired of it all!
Now I want to tell you something. God loves you. God understands what you are going through. You can find respite in Him. You can find solace in Him. You can find hope in Him. You can find rest in Him. You can find peace in Him.
Psalm 147:10-11 says, 'The Lord does not delight in the strength of the horse. The Lord takes no pleasure in the legs of a man. But the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, and in those who hope in His mercy.'
What do 'strength of the horse, or legs of a man' imply here?
In cross-reference, Psalm 20:7 says, 'Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.'
Now, don't get me wrong. If you have 'horses and chariots', good! There's nothing wrong with them. But we are not to make them the object of our confidence. So, 'horse' here can imply 'pride'. In other words, 'pride in one's achievements, or pride in one's strength'.
If you look at Psalm 147:10-11 again, you see that God is not impressed with all these. Neither is God impressed with 'legs of man'. You see, like an athlete, strong legs enable the person to push forward, to achieve great things, and to break records. Now, don't get me wrong. There's nothing wrong in using all that God has given to us, i.e. the gifts that God has given to us. But if a person puts his or her hope on all these outward strengths or outward achievements, God is saying that He is not impressed.
So, what is God truly impressed with? What does God truly delight in? The answer is found in Psalm 147:10-11. The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, i.e. those who revere Him and acknowledge that He is God; knowing that without Him, they can do nothing. He also takes pleasure in those who hope in His mercy.
Let me explain the word 'hope' and 'mercy' here.
The word 'hope' here is 'yawchal' in Hebrew. It can mean 'patiently waiting' or 'patiently trusting'. Yes, trust in His perfect timing and plans for your life. Isaiah 40:31 says, 'Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint.'
It means no matter what the world throws at you, because you wait on the Lord, i.e. because you hope in the Lord, you are like the eagle that rises above all the storms of this world! You shall run and not be weary. You shall walk and not faint. You shall continue to run with the Lord and walk with the Lord, and nothing in this world can have a hold in your life! Why? Because you know that your life belongs to the Lord!
How about the word 'mercy' here? This word 'mercy' is 'hesed' in Hebrew, which refers to 'the great love of God towards us', especially in the context of 'His faithfulness to His promises and His covenant with us'. So, it pleases God when we patiently put our hope in His faithfulness and in His lovingkindness towards us, instead of us putting our trust in the achievements of man and in the strength of man. In other words, in 'horses and chariots'. And it pleases God when we put all our trust in Him, knowing that He is a God who keeps His promises and covenant with us.
You see, if you have God, you have everything! So, let us put our priority right. Let God be first. With God, we can do all things! With God, all things will work together for good! With God, all good things will flow in and out of our lives!
So you see, you are not alone! The Lord is with you! If no one in this world understands you (or what you are going through at the moment), bring it before the Lord. He understands. Look to Him. Trust in Him. He knows how to guide you. He knows how to lead you. He knows how to restore you. He knows how to heal you.
What is the 'tunnel' that you are 'stuck in' right now? It may be a challenging time in the ministry that you are involved in. It may be in your career. It may be in the business that you have right now. Whatever your 'tunnel' may be, take heart, because you have this assurance that the Lord your God is here with you, and He is going through it with you! You shall see light at the end of the tunnel!
Let us pray.
"O Lord God, we praise You because You are not a dead-end God. You are always a God of light, and You are always a God of hope. We thank You for Your Word for us today. Whatever situation Your people may be facing right now, You have spoken today that there is light at the end of the tunnel. We declare good things are beginning to happen! We declare breakthrough! We declare victory! We declare Your Word! We declare hope! In Jesus' name. Amen."
