Father, help me to stand
Remind me that I am firmly in your hand
In spite of this trial
A trial that seems so vile
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death1
I shall come to you for rest
This trial is unavoidable
But You, Lord, are faithful
Even though fog clouds my vision
You are still near
My faith is not in my emotions
My faith is in Your Person
Jesus, you are with me til the end of the age
I want to see your faithfulness today
Help me stand under this trial
Let me grow stronger from something that seems so vile
Spirit, I know You are here
Through trials you draw me near
You draw us me Yourself, the Father and the Son
You remind us that someday my trials will be done
Victory is in Mighty God
He strengthens and improves me through the discipline rod
Even though painful at first
Discipline draws me to God, who quenches my thirst2
Your God is with you
Do not fear the valley of the shadow of death
My God is my rest
I will not be afraid of evil
Only in Christ can I stand
Never will I be torn from His hand
God is my rock and my salvation
Forever I am in His protection
Through Christ I will stand under the trial
Only from the Father my strength will come
Only in the Spirit will I find true comfort for my soul
My faith and my trust is in the God from of old
Through the Mighty God, the solid rock, I will stand
1. Psalm 23:4, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me" (NIV1984).
2. Hebrews 12:7-11, "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10 Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it" (NIV1984)
Poem's Description:
So, I've been interacting with people both on and offline and trials and hardships keep coming up. I went through a trial over Christmas and many others are going through trials now. This lead to me being inspired to write this poem about trials today and I'm going to share it with you.
The truth of the matter is trials are inevitable in the world we live in. Everyone, whether young or old, and regardless of nationality, suffers and goes through hardships. To not expect them or assume they won't come after a person comes to Christ is unrealistic and will become a disappointment. While we are powerless in avoiding them, we do have a powerful weapon during them, which is the gift of free choice. We can choose to allow them to crush us or call upon God and trust in His strength to allow us to stand up underneath it.
Personally, I choose to draw upon the Mighty God to help me stand up underneath them. Not only I will be closer and more in tune with Him, but I will be a stronger individual. This poem is an invitation for you to do the same!
Here is where I got the cover art- http://ic2.pbase.com/u11/mansour_mouasher/upload/38044668.292.jpg
And copyright information for the NIV- Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
