Adversity

Adversity can be defined by Webster's Dictionary as, "a state or instance of serious or continued difficulty or misfortune". It can also be defined as, "unfortunate event or circumstance". After reading the definition of adversity, I believe it is safe to say that we all have faced adversity in our lives. Our country in the last six months has faced adversity. There has been misfortunate in not only America but all over the world. It has been a long six months for us. On top of the adversity America is facing, you might be facing your own personal adversities. You may have lost your job or been furloughed. You may have had to take off work because your kids were not going to school. You may be struggling to pay your bills. You may be having a hard time finding a job if you're looking for one. Whatever adversity you're facing, there is an answer for it all. I was reading in my Bible and came across Psalm 31. It is titled, "The Lord a Fortress in Adversity". There is the answer. The answer is Jesus. It's like taking an open book test. You have all the answers you need in the book to pass the test, but you have a choice to use the book or not to. Why would you choose not to and risk getting a bad grade? What sense would that make? That's how life is with Jesus. You have all the answers and knowledge you need to get through life in the Bible, all you have to do is make the choice to open it and read. Jesus is the answer. I know I say that time and time again, but no matter what you're facing in life you have the answer. Recently I have been faced with adversity. Adversity about my career. The facility I was supposed to start working at in July told me with Covid-19, start dates have gotten delayed and they couldn't tell me when I would be able to start. I had already placed my resignation date at my current job, so I was faced with a choice. A choice to either wait it out for a new start date or make the decision to look elsewhere. Immediately I panicked. I didn't know what I was going to do. I didn't know where to apply. I wasn't sure. Then I remembered that I didn't need to decide right at that moment. I needed to let go and let God. I needed to allow God to be my fortress in the middle of my adversity. I needed to trust that God was going to be my rock and that He would guide me where I needed to go if I allowed Him. In Psalm 31 David states this, "For You are my rock and my fortress; Therefore, for Your name's sake, Lead me and guide me. Pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me, For You are my strength" (Psalms 31:3-4). What if when we are faced with adversity, the first thing we do is recite this verse. You see David faced a lot of adversity, but David also knew that the Lord was his fortress in the middle of the adversity. Instead of leaning on his own understanding and doing what David thought was best, he came to the Lord. He said Lord you are my rock. You are my fortress. Lead me. Guide me. Pull me out of the nets they set up to trap me. You are my strength in the middle of this all. I don't know what adversity you are facing. We all are facing our own. Our country is facing two major adversities right now. I feel like a lot of people are saying "what should we do?", "what should I be doing?", "what is the answer to the problems we are facing?", "when we will have an answer?", and I am here to tell you that this whole time we already had the answers, we just were looking in the wrong place for it. We were waiting for another man (governor, mayor, president) to answer our questions when God already is the answer and has all the answers we have. Want to know when things will start getting better in your life and in America? When we stop leaning on our own understanding and let God guide us. When we start allowing God to be the fortress in our adversity. When we start acting like David in the middle of our adversities. When we start taking our adversities to the man who created the universe in the first place. The man who has ALL THE ANSWERS WE WILL EVER NEED, Jesus. Yes, America is facing adversity like no other right now. Yes, we are a broken country. Yes, there needs to be change. But the change needs to begin with ourselves. We first need to look at ourselves and really think about whether or not we are turning to God and allowing Him to be the strength, rock, and refuge in the middle of our adversities. We need to search our own hearts and ask God to get rid of any feelings or emotions that are not of God. Ask God to clear our mind of all the negativity of the world, and fill it with truth and love. God is the answer in the middle of your adversities. Allow Him to be your fortress and rock. Allow Him to be your strength.