The Turning Point

Psalm 27: 1, 9, 13, 14 "The Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life of whom shall I be afraid? Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Savior. I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." NIV

As my little spring seedlings, began to grow bigger and stronger, preparing for life outside, I began turning them on a regular basis. As they were situated in front of large windows and received full sun much of the day, having these turning points ensured that they would grow straight and strong instead of leaning over toward the sun to such a degree as to break their tender stalks.

One day as I was doing so, I was reminded of some of the turning points in my life. These were times when, even though scripturally I knew that the Lord was my light and salvation, the stronghold of my life and I had nothing to fear, emotionally I felt that God had hidden his face from me. That He had turned away in anger at something I had said or done or possibly even thought.

They were times when I did not feel the presence of God with me. Times when I wondered where was He when I most needed him? They were dark and confusing times. Times filled with hurt and anger, and fear. And yet just as the sun continued to shine through my windows on my little plants, even though I had turned them away from the light, Scripture makes it very clear that God continued to be with me in my darkness, for He never leaves nor forsakes us.

And amazingly enough, in hind sight, I clearly see that those times forced me to grow stronger and taller in my faith, much more able to stand firm and to not be broken by the forces of this world. My understanding of God deepened and my Christian maturity became more well-rounded making my scope of ministry to others broader and hopefully wiser as well. Amidst my turning points my Scriptural head knowledge also became heart knowledge, a knowing beyond knowing, deep in my inner most being that the Lord is my light and my salvation and I have nothing to fear not only in the good times either but at all times.

How about you today? Are you basking in the sun, delighting in the presence of the Lord, or are you experiencing a spiritual turning point. A point where you feel the Lord has hidden His face from you, and turned away in anger and rejection, forsaking you? If so then don't despair. For God has not left you. The Son is still shining upon you whether you feel Him or not for He has promised, never will I leave you nor forsake you. And God cannot lie. So take courage, for I am confident of this: you will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. So wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. You'll be oh so glad that you did.

Prayer: Father God, please bless each and every one today who is experiencing a hard time, a turning point in their life. Uplift and encourage them that You are with them and that amidst this difficult time You are faithfully and wonderfully growing and maturing them into the kind of Christian their heart yearns to be. Bless them with kind and encouraging words from others and strength to take heart and wait for the Lord. In Christ's name I ask. Amen.