“Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, he saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and gloom and broke their chains apart.” – Psalm 107:13-14

The other day my wife and I went to Lowe’s to pick up some things for the house. When we came back out there was a used syringe lying on the ground behind our car. At first, I was angry and disgusted, but then I thought, “how incredibly sad it is that this person is caught up so deeply in drug addiction that they are shooting up in a parking lot in middle of the day. How sad that this is what they have turned to in order to deal with life’s problems.” As I thought of that, as so often happens, God used the moment to teach me something about myself… “Where do you turn for help, Shane, when you are struggling?”

So, let me ask you, brothers and sisters; where do you turn in times of trouble? When we think about people with drug or alcohol addictions, we clearly recognize that they have developed an unhealthy pattern of seeking out dangerous substances to deal with their problems instead of dealing with them the proper way. However, we are all guilty of turning to the wrong things in order to comfort us, encourage us, or give us strength in our dark times. There is only one place to turn. There is really only One who can break our chains and free us; the Lord. So, take a moment today and think about where you turn when life is hard. Then make a renewed commitment to always cry out to God in your times of trouble.

Almighty God, we recognize that You are the only one who truly rescues. You are the only one who can truly break our chains. Guide us to turn to You and only You to bring us out of the darkness and gloom.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Shane Cannon