WHEN OUR TROUBLES BECOME OUR TRIUMPHS!
Proverbs 24:15-20
INTRODUCTION: Often in lives our greatest triumphs come from our everyday troubles! As Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson said; sometimes what you want so badly is “the best thing that never happened to you.” Our message today is being given so you might see that your time of trouble should be looked at as a time of opportunity. The opportunity to choose to hit your reset button and make your life one of the greatest triumph stories in history. Today we will look at several different men and women in our Bibles who chose to use their times of trouble as times of reset that turned their times troubles into life times of triumph.
- FROM TROUBLE TO TRIUMPH FOR MEN!
The Bible is full of people who experienced great times of trouble in their lives that led to a reset and then a lifetime of triumph. The story of Abraham is one of many ups and downs, as the LORD called him from his family to leave the Ur of Chaldees and head for Canaan Land. Along the way Abraham lost his father to death and had to leave his only brother behind in Haran. Abraham had a promise of God of a family but had no children for thirteen long years. Like so many of us Abraham and his wife Sarah decided to help the LORD out by Sarah giving Abraham her slave girl Hagar as his wife. The child born was named Ishmael, but God was not well pleased with their decision. Some twelve years later God promised that within one-year Abraham and Sarah would have their own child and they had Isaac. As Isaac grew another time of trouble came as God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac: Genesis 22:1-5. Because Abraham believed God, God turned his time of trouble into a great blessing! Genesis 22:15-18. More is said in Genesis about Jacob than it does of any other person. Jacob was always moving backwards in his life because of his own scheming. Then Jacob met his mother’s brother Laban who taught him a few lessons about scheming. But one-night Jacob wrestled with “The Angle of the LORD” and his life was changed from troubled to triumph! Genesis 32:22-29.
2. FROM TROUBLE TO TRIUMPH FOR WOMEN!
There was a Shunamite woman who lived along the route of the Prophet Elisha and she often fed him as he passed by on his travels. This woman asked her husband to build a little bedroom addition on their house so Elisha could stop and rest for a few days. 2 Kings 4:11-17. But many of us know that even in the midst of blessing there can be yet more times of testing: 2 Kings 4:32-37. Ruth is yet another example of our Lord turning times of trouble into a life=time of triumphs. Ruth 4:13-17.
3. GOD MEANT IT FOR GOOD!
Sometimes the Bible gives some very strange directions to the sons and daughters of God: James 1:2-12. We must learn the lesson that the pure joy of faith, and the faithfulness it brings into our lives even in our times of trouble that allows our Lord to turn our times of trouble into life-times of triumph! Joseph leaned that lesson even before the time of the Apostle James: Genesis 50:15-21. Our Lord allowed all kinds of troubles to enter into Joseph’s life. Genesis 41:39-43. Do you think that could never happen to you? Isaiah 40:28-31. Does that remind you of our key verse for today’s message? Proverbs 24:16; Jeremiah 32:26-27. Is our God really in the business of turning His faithful children’s times of troubles into life-times of triumph? Romans 12:11-12; Romans 8:28-29; Romans 5:1-5; John 16:33; 1 John 5:1-5. Yes, if you will choose to trust God’s promises and simply obey what He has for you can and will overcome the world and have a life of triumph through the trials the Lord will lead you through!