Isaiah 24:15
“Wherefore glorify ye the LORD in the fires, even the name of the LORD God of Israel in the isles of the sea.”
The verse above comes at a very troublesome time for Israel. Their world was turned upside down because of sin. They were taken from their homes and cities and transported to another land as servants and slaves. It did not matter whether they had money or were poor, whether they were a business owner or an employee, a merchant or a consumer, they were all removed from their homeland. The Scriptures says that their land was “empty.”
You can only imagine the troubles these people faced. Yes, they faced these troubles because of their sin, but it was still a troublesome time. The homes they had built would become desolate and rot. The gardens they planted would be wasted and become a desert place. The city where they had so many memories would be left desolate.
Yet, God told them to “glorify ye the LORD in the fires.” God was teaching them to look through the troubles and see the day when the sound of joy would be back in their city. He was telling them to look through the heartache to see the cities and homes rebuilt. He was telling them that beyond their troubles they would see blessings again. In other words, God was teaching them that the way through their troubles was to look beyond their troubles to the time when God would bless them again.
That is exactly how you make it through troubles and heartache. You can either dwell on what is being taken from you, or you can look beyond your troubles and see God’s blessings. You can look at the hurt and sorrow that you are in, or you can look beyond the troubles and see the joy and gladness that God will give. You can look at the pain of your troubles or you can look beyond them and see a day when all troubles will end. Your perspective of your troubles will truly determine what you become.
Friend, there is an end to every trouble, and that is on what you must dwell. In other words, you must never give up hope that God will bring your troubles to an end. When you look at every trouble you have endured in the past, you will always see that they do come to an end; however, if you dwell on your troubles, you will only lengthen and magnify their impact on your life.
Furthermore, when you look through your troubles to see when they will end, then you see the God Who will cause them to end. This truly should be your focus. When you keep your eyes on God while facing troubles, you will continue to have hope. When you keep your eyes on God while experiencing heartache, you will find the peace that passeth all understanding. When your eyes are on God, then the troubles you endure are not significant for His presence lessens the degree of the pain.
Whatever you do, don’t dwell on the heartache. Keep your eyes on God by looking through your troubles. Always secure the hope that one day your troubles will end. God is the only One Who can help you secure that hope, so be sure to keep your eyes upon Him.