WHEN YOU ARE DISTRESSED, WHAT DO YOU DO?

SCRIPTURE:
In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled 
himself greatly before the God of his ancestors.  And when he prayed 
to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; 
so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then 
Manasseh knew that the Lord is God.
(2 Chronicles 33:12-13)

MEDITATION:
Everything can be going great when suddenly, out of the blue, 
something happens that rocks our world.
We can be impacted in many ways.

Some sink into immediate depression.
Some rise up in anger with a determination to overcome.
Some are saddened to the point of being unable to be consoled or comforted.
Some quickly affix the blame on something or someone.
Some are overwhelmed about how other people will view them.
Some are afraid of losing friends as a result.
Some wonder if God is punishing them in some way for a particular sin.

The list could go on and on, 
but it is important for us to look at God’s Word for advice.
In Second Chronicles, we see someone who was in great distress
and we read about how he reacted to his peril.

Three significant factors stand out.
First of all, we see that He ‘sought God’.
This can be a time of spiritual renewal and increased friendship with God.

Secondly, we see that he 'humbled himself' before God.
We are not told that he had some kind of insincere type of humility.
No, the scriptures say he was “greatly” humbled.

Lastly, he prayed. 
We have to assume that he prayed with humility, faith and confidence
that God would hear his plea, and respond.
Notice that humility comes before praying.
That is not accidental - being humble indicates he needed the Lord.
 
ACTION:
Are you going through a difficult time right now?
If so, then follow the advice from the Bible: 
seek God, become humble and pray.
Also, look at your circumstance 
as a time to get closer to the Lord and grow spiritually.

Some want to blame God, 
but instead, you should thank Him for being there, 
for hearing your plea, for understanding your circumstance, 
and for turning something bad into something good.
Many have come out of the furnace of affliction 
more beautiful and more useful than before.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for showing me in Your Word how to properly 
respond to times of distress. Than You for assuring me that You can make 
something good out of something bad in my life. Help me to change my 
perspective and look at times that feel like a “beat down” as an 
opportunity for growth. Help me to grow so close to You that You are the 
first One I turn to during bad times. Teach me to replace any egotism with 
humility. Help me to have a humility similar to the humility of Your Son, 
Jesus.”