Psalms 71

You, who have shown me great and severe troubles, Shall revive me again, And bring me up again from the depths of the earth. Psalms‬ ‭71:20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Enduring trials or even hitting rock bottom is never fun, but God gives us peace in knowing that He is always with us, which gives us hope.  “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).  No matter what problems or troubles you are facing, there is always hope and a promise that God will restore your life and your relationships, as long as you stay faithful to Him.  A great example of this comes from Acts 16:22-36.  Paul and Silas were beaten severely, and then thrown into prison with no just cause.  How would you react to such a situation?  It would be natural to feel defeated, hopeless and depressed.  But as followers of Jesus Christ, we are able to look beyond the natural and tap into the supernatural power that has been given to each and every one of us.  Paul prayed specifically for us in Ephesians 3:20-21: “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”  In Acts 16, Paul and Silas chose not to give in to hopelessness and despair.  Their faith remained strong despite their dire circumstances and they continued to pray and sing songs to God.  Other prisoners took notice of the very different way they were handling their seemingly hopeless situation.  We must keep this in mind as we endure trials in life.  We can have a profound influence on others around us by handling a difficult problem with peace and trusting God along the way.  For those of you that are not called to actively and boldly preach the Gospel, think of this as a powerful way of showing others what a Spirit-led life looks like.  It worked for Paul and Silas. 

God then sent a miraculous earthquake to the jail, which resulted in the release of all the prisoners.  In the end, the jailer and his entire household became believers in Jesus Christ because of the example set by two Christians who refused to succumb to the natural feelings of fear and discouragement, but instead found supernatural strength and hope in their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.