⁸ We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. ⁹ We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.

2 Corinthians 4:8-9

Ever so regularly, even though I have my own bible reading plans (since I started the whole My Daily Bread series in 2018), there would be days like today, that the Spirit of God would lead me to something else. In my experience, I’ve learned to understand that God always knows best how to speak to us on a daily basis. Especially if we are willing to listen to what He is trying to say to us. And to be fair, I’ve been praying (“a lot more”) recently. I don’t mean that in the quantity sense. It isn’t about the number of times in a day that I prayed, but rather, I like to think it is about the humility and earnest nature of my prayer. Yes, I really do believe that God can and will speak to us, just not like this voice you hear. I mean, that would sound kinda crazy. I mean, I’ve never experienced anything of that sort. But I do believe that in a more practical, spiritual-sense, God does speak to us through the word of God (Bible). I’ve experienced this enough times to know that it is true.

¹⁷ For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! ¹⁸ So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

2 Corinthians 4:17-18

Don’t Get Stuck on Today’s Troubles

As I’m reading the passages in 2 Corinthians 4:8-10, 16-18, I felt this reminder from God that I shouldn’t allow myself to become stuck on the problems and challenges of today. It doesn’t mean that we should be ignoring our problems. We are still going to have to address them at some point. We can’t ignore them forever and hope that they would just disappear. But we can set it aside so that we can then channel our energy and focus on the things that we can “solve” or “accomplish” now.

For me, these passages also feels a lot like God’s reply and responses to my recent cries for His help. In some of my daily prayers, I have been telling Him about how much I have been struggling to find hope. I admitted that I am doing everything I can to stay positive under the circumstances, but I am struggling to feel hopeful. With everything that I am currently facing, it’s kinda hard to see anything positive really.

And in response, I feel like God is trying to say to me through these passages, “Weizhi, I see you. I see your suffering. I see your struggles. You are not alone. I am with you.”

At the very same time, I am also getting a sense that God is trying to tell me to not carry all of this burden (worries) on my own. That I can also rely on Him. I can do that by surrendering everything that I am currently facing into His hands. And trust that He is always in control. And that He has already made a way for me. Amen.

Trust in the Peace of God

While I’m meditating upon the word of God and what God is trying to say to me, it also brought me back to a passage in Philippians that’s close to my heart for most of my life as a believer, Philippians 4:6-7. It’s a small passage about how we should not be anxious for whatever it is that we’re facing right now. As someone who has struggled with chronic anxiety disorder as a child, and now even as an adult, I still experience those episodes. Most of my anxiety comes from worrying about things I have no control over, and also when I am experiencing an overwhelming level of stresses. Like everything is being piled on top of one another.

During that initial phase of doing the My Daily Bread routine, there were many days when I got to truly experience that peace of God. I have often described that experience like being in the eye of a storm. And while everything around me seems to be raging like a storm, the peace of God resides on the inside of me. There’s a sense of calm that could only be described as the peace of God.

I was able to find the peace of God many times in the past because I had learned to surrender my daily troubles and challenges to God. And I trusted that I won’t have to face those challenges and troubles on my own. That I will always have Him with me as I faced them.

Coming back to what all of this means to me today, here in this very moment. I believe that I need to once again surrender everything that I’m currently facing into God’s hands. I have to acknowledge that I have been trying to carry it all on my own, hence in some ways, I’ve been trying to rely upon my own strength and understanding to overcome those challenges. But the truth is that I can’t overcome them all on my own. There’s just no way right now. It’s too much for me to handle. So yes, I am going to need to rely upon God’s strength, His grace, wisdom and understanding to help me get through this season of my life. And once I have surrendered all of my challenges and troubles to Him, I can then finally receive His peace which surpasses all understanding. With that, I can finally find the peace and calm that I need to focus on what it is that I can do/accomplish today.

Personal Prayer Today

Father in Heaven,

I come before You, humbled because I understand now that I have been prideful and relying on my own strength, and understanding to face and overcome my present troubles/challenges.

I thank You for reminding me today that I don’t have to face these challenges by myself. In fact, I know now that I can rely upon You to help see me through this season of life.

Today I surrender every single one of my troubles & challenges into Your hands. Thank You for seeing everything that I am going through, and letting me know that I am not facing them alone.

And just like the eye of the storm, I receive Your peace today into my heart.

Finally, I ask that You also bless me with the productivity & focus that I need today, in order to do the things that I can do.

I vow to give You all of the praises. In Jesus’ name I pray.

Amen.