Today's Passage - Psalm 42:3

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Psalm 42:3   My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, "Where is your God?"   We're unable to thirst for God because there are hindrances in our life. Verse 3 speaks of one kind of hindrance, which is hardship. Hardship often causes us unable to move forward, it prevents us from coming before God and it also makes us question God's love and His mightiness. Therefore, the psalmist says here that people are asking where his God is. When John the Baptist was locked up in the prison and he found out that King Herod was going to kill him, he sent his disciple to ask Jesus where Jesus was the one to come or they had to wait for someone else.  Even a significant and powerful servant of God like John the Baptist would question God when hardship comes, asking "God, where are you? Are you the one who's to come?" Hardship makes it difficult for us to continue to believe in God, and it also makes it difficult believe that God is good and His promises will never fail.   When a widely revered pastor died from cancer, someone said "how come someone who loves and serves the Lord so much end up in the bondage of disease?" It implies that it's better not to love the Lord too much, but is it true that hardship is never blessing from God? God's grace will definitely make everything go smoothly? Sometimes it might be the opposite - Everything's going well because God is letting you do whatever you want, and if you are disciplined on everything it means you are the children of God! Christiana Tsai had eyes that could not see light, so for 50 years she lied in a dark queen, so she was called "queen of the dark chamber." From human perspective she really had a miserable life, but she told me that in the past 50 years she never asked God why, but she only asked "Lord, what can I do for you today?" I really saw that what inside her is greater than what in the world! When we are in hardship, we often ask: "Lord, why do you allow these things to happen to me," but sometimes God allows hardship to come to us because He wants to accomplish even greater things. God allowed the three friends of Daniel to be thrown into the furnace, but God's presence was with them inside the furnace, even the king was amazed!   May God once again help us, not to let any hardship or pain hinder us from being thirsty for God. Romans 8:39 say: "Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord," hallelujah! The attacks by the enemy cannot separate us from the love of God, because even though the enemy can attack us, he can never hinder God from loving us, and he cannot hinder God from answering our prayer! May God help us to thirst to Him alone and to come near Him, because if you come near God, He will come near you!   Pray with Pastor Tong          Dear Lord, if there's anything in our life that hinders us from coming near you, we ask that you remove them, and give us the spirit that thirsts for you. Let us experience your genuine presence in our daily life. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!