Knowing God in the Fire of Adversity - Part One

Psalm 31

The cry of David's heart in this Psalm is balanced by the confession of his faith in God, as his Rock and Fortress, that place of safety and refuge unto which he could resort and know, that no matter how bleak, impossible and desperate the situation appeared in the natural, that God would deliver him and preserve him.

David had proved God on many occasions, from the time he delivered the sheep from the mouth of the lion and bear as a shepherd boy, defeating Goliath against all odds, to knowing God's hand of protection and deliverance when he hid in the caves of Engedi, as King Saul sought to kill him.

If we are to know God, then contrary to the "false gospel" - that is so popular because it promises nothing but blessing, prosperity and good things and totally denies the role suffering and trouble plays in a believer's life - then we will experience trouble, suffering, trials and experiences that totally and completely overwhelm us in the natural and put us in a position of such helplessness and vulnerability, that only God can save and deliver us.

It is in those experiences, like David, that we learn to trust God, in spite of how we feel, how impossible the situation appears and how helpless and lonely we may be.

In this Psalm, David is experiencing many troubles including:

1. Needing to be rescued and pulled out of the net or snare that his enemies had secretly and deceitfully laid for him

2. Facing such trouble that his eyes and his innermost being were consumed and overwhelmed with grief

3. Feeling lonely and forsaken by his neighbours, friends and acquaintances v11 in the NKJV actually says that he was " repulsive to his acquaintances"

4. He is forgotten as a dead man and is like a broken vessel

5. He was surrounded by fear on every side

6. He was being slandered

7. His enemies were scheming and plotting to kill him

All in all, not a great situation to be in you would say.

Have you ever felt forsaken and let down, especially by those you least expect it from?

Do you ever feel that the enemy is seeking after your soul to destroy you?

Do you ever find yourself feeling totally overwhelmed by life and circumstances?

Do you ever find things happening to you that you just can't understand or figure out and you end up being overcome by a sense of hopelessness and despair?

Have you ever been deeply hurt by a brother or sister in the Lord?

You are not alone, everyone of us, if we are sincerely seeking after God and desire to walk in His ways, will pass through the valley of despair and the furnace of affliction.

When my daughter was born 15 years ago, my wife and I knew from the 12th week of the pregnancy, that she had a rare and serious, life threatening condition. It's not something I often speak about but I share the experience with you in the context of this message, as a testimony to God's great faithfulness. She needed to go through a major operation at 6 months old, as it was not possible to operate in the first few weeks. Lots of stress during the pregnancy and also after birth and leading up to and after the operation. My wee daughter developed further complications with a severe infection following the operation and two further hernia operations.

I'm not going to sugar coat it, nor go into all the details, suffice to say it was a tough 12+ months. We stayed for a total of 6 weeks in the Royal Victoria Hospital for Sick Children. Fear was on every side and many times we felt completely overwhelmed but God was our refuge, strength and very present and constant help. His all sufficient grace brought us through. He didn't save us from the fiery furnace, but He did walk with us through the furnace and brought us out the other side. We saw many other parents and very sick babies and children in that time. We saw and experienced the suffering that afflicts so many people, always someone in an even worse situation than yourself and in many cases without God.

When my son was born 4 years later my wife, Carol, experienced life threatening complications. She was in hospital for 6 weeks before the pregnancy and my wee daughter used to break her heart when she had to leave her mummy. After my son was born, I almost lost my wife on the operating table due to severe blood loss.

I remember going into a bathroom in the hospital and crying to God to have mercy on us and save Carol. It looked impossible. They told me to prepare myself for the worse. I thought what if? I will not only lose my wife but I will be left on my own to bring up a newborn and a 4 year old without their mother.

But God .....!

Again He intervened. He heard my heartfelt cry, out of a position of total helplessness and the prayers of those who were interceding and He supernaturally intervened, as only He can do. He did not forsake us in our darkest hour. He heard from heaven and sent from above and drew us out of great waters. Psalm 18v16

Why do I share these experiences? Its not to make us out as victims or something special. As I say, I have never shared this when preaching but I think I was wrong not too. Why? Because by sharing this I can identify with your pain and say we have been there and God walked with us through the fire. There was a purpose in it all.

We had a choice, fall to bits, try to face it in our own limited human strength or become utterly helpless and acknowledge that God alone was our source of help, salvation and deliverance. He alone would give us the strength to trust and put our hope in his mercy, faithfulness and unfailing love.

Psalm 34v6

This poor man cried and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.

Psalm 27v13

I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living

You see, I want you to hear and see something in this message - even if you forget the rest - please remember this truth.

God is more interested in our character than our comfort.

I know, that is totally contrary to much of what is taught and preached in the apostate church system today but the Word of God is what we must live by, not the word of man, or positive thinking.

Positive thinking will not get you through the valley of the shadow of death. No Sir!.

No, only the Good Shepherd will get you through that valley.

Only the One like unto the Son of Man, that we read about in Daniel 3, will get us through the fiery furnace.

I heard a well known prosperity preacher say recently:

I haven't time to be sick.

I haven't time to be poor.

I switched it off.

I make absolutely no apology for saying, what I'm about to say.

We need discernment in this hour and its time to catch ourselves on and stop allowing ourselves to be deceived by those who masquerade as servants of God.

The word of God warns that many shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons. 1 Timothy 4v1.

2 Timothy 3 describes the perilous times that will be in the last days and says in v5

5Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

1 Timothy 6v5&6 (NKJV)

..men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself

6¶Now godliness with contentment is great gain.

2 Peter 2v1-3 (NIV)

1But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves

2Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.

3In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

I wonder what the persecuted church in China, North Korea and in Islamic countries, would think of such rhetoric or those who have been diagnosed with cancer or some other life threatening illness, or a couple like my wife and I, who are going through a trial and holding unto God and believing that He will make a way.

Sometimes you have no choice but have time for trouble because it comes knocking and you have to face it. Such talk is just empty soundbites that are better suited to a Ted talk.

But the time is coming, when all the waffle and empty soundbites, will be exposed and we will face persecution for being Christians and the choice will be stark, will we bow the knee to the AntiChrist system or will be bow the knee to Christ alone?

As Carter Conlon posted recently on Facebook:

The greatest time of persecution against the saints this world has ever known, is coming upon the earth. Matthew 24.

I believe it's at the door and everything we are currently experiencing, all the measures and loss of freedom due to Covid, rampant inflation and coming food shortages, a financial crash, controls due to climate change and the war in Ukraine are preparing the way for the Great Reset and the formation of a one world political, religious and economic system.

But here again the church has been deceived into believing that we will be raptured before all that, even though there is no scriptural basis for a pretribulation rapture.

No, scripture is very clear, if we are alive when the Man of Sin (2 Thessalonians 2v1-17) comes on the scene, then we will go through the great tribulation. We will not face God's wrath (7 trumpet and 7 vial judgements) but we will endure great persecution and martyrdom.

I don't have time to go into all the scriptures to show the biblical proof in this message but I will be covering the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord and showing through the scriptures, how these are two distinct and different events, at some stage. Like Noah and Lot we will be saved from wrath (The Day of the Lord) but we will endure great tribulation.

Revelation 13v7,9 & 10, speaking of the AntiChrist, who heads up the one world government beast system, it says

7And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

9¶If any man have an ear, let him hear.

10He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

2 Thessalonians 2v3

3Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

What day is Paul talking about. He tells us in v1

1. The Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ

2. And our gathering together unto Him

That is, when immediately after the tribulation of those days, when Jesus comes in power and great glory and sends His angels to gather His elect Matthew 24v29-31

But I digress.

However, the reality is, now more than ever before, its time to get our understanding of end-time events and our eschatology right folks because the time draws near.

By the way, the Bible speaks far more about the Day of the Lord than the Great Tribulation and yet it is never preached. Just go through a concordance and see how many of the Old Testament prophets, including, Isaiah, Joel, Zephaniah and Malachi speak of that terrible Day when God will judge an unbelieving and unrepentant world and pour out His wrath.

Revelation 6v17

17For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

Suffering persecution is common place for millions of Christians across the world. We are deceiving ourselves, if we think that everything that is happening in democratic countries in relation to the erosion of freedoms and religious liberty, is not going to lead to persecution and trouble when we speak the unadulterated truth of God's word. Pastors have already been imprisoned in Canada for refusing to close during lockdowns.

The Word of God says

2 Timothy 3v10-13

10¶But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance,

11persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra—what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me.

12Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

13But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.

The Lord as always is truthful with us. Through the apostle Paul he tells us, that we will suffer persecution but the good news is that we won't face it alone. Like Paul the Lord will deliver us.

In Part 2, we will look at the Hebrew children, who experienced a literal furnace, the rest of Psalm 31, more about the role suffering plays in the believer's life and walk and the assurance that God will deliver, strengthen and make a way for us in the midst of trials and adversity.