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When Life Throws Us a Curveball

How do you react when life throws you a curveball?  I think we all would agree that when we find ourselves in hard situations, we may feel defeated or that maybe God has forgotten us. David ran into some very difficult things.  But He knew that even when things were difficult or just downright dangerous, God was always there providing just what he needed.  Our Bible Journaling verse today says, “Young lions lack food and go hungry, but those who seek the Lord will not lack any good thing.” (Psalm 34:10 CSB)

David wrote this while he was being held by the Philistines and was before Abimelech.  Most of us haven’t had the experience of being hunted down and captured like David.  But He knew God had him in the palm of His Hand.  He cried out to God for deliverance and God answered. The Enduring Word website states, “David experienced a good thing from God in his deliverance among the Philistines. He knew that the good thing was not due to his own strength or might; it was the goodness of God extended to those who seek the Lord.” 

I know that when I went through a very difficult time in my life, there was only one place I could turn to when I needed help. God came through for me in a big way.  My first husband had two strokes and several epileptic seizures and then I had to put him in a nursing home because I couldn’t work and take care of him full-time.  At the time we were in the middle of selling one house and buying another. Immediately, I had to do everything, from dealing with the sale and purchase of two houses; everything paperwork wise had to be put into my name, all our joint accounts, including house and cars, had to be switched to my name because we had to put him on medical disability, and he wasn’t allowed more than $2000.00 in assets. All the medical decisions fell into my lap as well.  I had never had to take care of any of this on my own because he had always taken the lead in it all. I was 1600 miles away from my family and they couldn’t help me. The stress was almost unbearable.  But God!  One Wednesday night at church I completely broke down after a particularly hard day. God had placed us in a wonderful church that surrounded me that night and prayed for me, wrapped their arms around me, and just let me weep uncontrollably.  But they did more than that! They took care of me. Anything I needed; they were right there.  Sometimes help came in the form of money, sometimes it was a group of people coming and helping me move, or it was the men coming and putting insulation in my house and fixing my basement stairs, other times it was the youth group helping me with the yard work.  Whatever I needed, all I needed to do was tell God, and He made sure my church stepped up to help me.

When things get difficult, God knows.  In his commentary on Psalms, J. Vernon McGee states. “David had seen hungry little lion cubs whining for something to eat. He also had seen that those who had sought the Lord had not lacked any good thing. If a lioness can take care of her little cubs, God can take care of you and me. David learned that by experience. This is putting Christianity into shoe leather, and we need it in shoe leather.”

My church put action to what they taught and showed the love of God to me and my husband.  God knew what He was doing when He put us in that church!  He took care of us by giving us a church family that loved and cared for us.  God gave me a special verse to hold onto during that time, Jeremiah 29:11, “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” (NIV)  He came through with flying colors and I am so grateful!  I know that whatever comes my way, God is right there, helping me through it all.

When life throws you a curveball, lean into God.  Go to Him and tell Him what you need.  He will not turn you away.  It may not come about in the way you think it should or in the timing you desire, but it will come to you in God’s timing, and in the way that will be the best for you.  His deliverance will be right on time and just what you need.

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Donna Knuth Rice

I am trying a blog for the first time in my life, and frankly, I feel like I don't have a clue as to what I'm doing! But, here goes. I work at a Christian Television network in the Correspondence Department, where I write letters and emails to our viewers, pray with them for their needs, and send materials they request. I am a Christian. I was saved at the age of 11 during a youth meeting at my church. My pastor led me to the Lord, and to say the least, my life has been an adventure. I am a widow. My late husband, Allen, passed away after 34 1/2 years of marriage. He had been sick the last seven years of his life, and it was a struggle, for him and for me. We met as part of a singing group that was affiliated with a Christian Radio station, and we sang together all through our lives together. We both worked in television and radio all through our married life, mostly for Christian stations. Besides singing I also play flute. I had the luxury of having parents who started out as music teachers...so music was in our house constantly. Some people describe me as being a loud-mouthed lime type...can't disagree with that. I have a tendency to put my foot in my mouth more times than I can count! I also have a tendency to say exactly what's on my mind...which is why I get myself in so much trouble! LOL! Trust me, that's something me and God have been working on for a very long time. I have no children here on earth, although I have a baby in heaven. My baby here is my dog Jack. He's a black lab/ chow mix. He's a big boy....thinks he's a lap dog! Can't think of much else to say. The reason I started this blog is because a few months ago in church, a guest pastor came and delivered a message, and when he asked for those of us who wanted prayer to come forward, I did. When he came to me he asked me if I did any journaling. I told him no 'cause I wasn't very good at it. He told me to start, and prophesied over me that my journal thoughts would impact other people. I wasn't sure just how I was to go about doing this. In fact, I was a little hesitant at first. I started journaling at home, and our assistant pastor's wife asked me to submit something for our Senior newsletter. I didn't the first edition, but something I had heard on Christian radio a long time ago and has stuck with me all these years, came to mind so I submitted an article. That article will be my first post. I don't claim to have all the answers, and my thoughts may seem a little "out there", but I feel God has been prodding me to do this, and so here I am. I hope what I post will bring encouragement, and "Something to Think About".

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