Session 9

Where do you turn when everything goes wrong?

From Psalms: A 28-Day Devotional

If you found out your company was closing today, what’s the first thing you would do? You might call contacts in your industry, brush up your resume, or start browsing job sites.

If you found out a loved one had cancer, where would you go for help? If we’re honest, for most of us, the first response to illness is to Google the diagnosis.

When times are desperate, our first response is often to turn to others for help. People are great, but we are only human. However, there is One greater than any human being on earth.

“Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save” (Psalm 146:3). Humans will always have a potential to fail, even when we have the best intentions. God, on the other hand, never fails.  

God is our help and He is our hope. He is our healer. He is our provider. He is our King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is our strength. And through it all, “The Lord reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations” (Psalm 146:10).

Often when things go wrong, we ask God “Why?” Then, we turn to everyone else for advice on what to do. There’s nothing wrong with asking God why or seeking wise counsel. But if we’re putting all our hope in Internet experts or godly friends, our trust is misplaced.

God is not surprised by our problems or worried about how it will all turn out. He brings order to the world and helps those who call out to Him (Psalm 146:6-9). If we’ll reach out to God in tough times, He can bring us more peace and direction in 10 minutes of prayer than we can find in 10 hours of searching the Internet or talking to others.

The question we have to ask is: Where will we put our trust?

Reflect:

• Where do you turn first when you get bad news?
• Have you ever relied on someone and that person failed you? Have you ever felt like God failed you?
• Is there a situation you’ve been seeking others’ advice on that you’ve yet to talk to God about? Take time today to ask how He would have you approach the problem.