Kristi Burchfiel

Tough times? We’ve all had them. It’s entirely possible that you are going through them now. Psalm 126 talks about coming out of them. Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting. Psalms 126:5 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.126.5.NASB We are going to have times where we sow in tears. Life is hard and difficult. At times it can be full of problems, trials, testing, frustration, and so many other things that it becomes a difficult to even figure out how to take one hour at a time let alone one day at a time.  I have sown a lot of tears throughout my life in different circumstances and situations. I…

Do we know where our help comes from? When we are going through difficulties and struggles, God is the one who brings our help. If we are following Him, He is our advocate. See Psalm 124. “Had it not been the Lord who was on our side When men rose up against us, Then they would have swallowed us alive, When their anger was kindled against us; Psalms 124:2‭-‬3 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.124.2-3.NASB We will never be able to overcome on our own. Only because of our relationship to Jesus Christ are we able to overcome anything that comes our way. By ourselves we will always be overthrown, but with God, he…

Do we expect God to give us what we need? We are so independent in this culture and we are taught that we need to find our own answers. That is not how God designed us. Read Psalm 123. Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, So our eyes look to the Lord our God, Until He is gracious to us. Psalms 123:2 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.123.2.NASB We are to be mindful of where our help comes from. We cannot find the answers to what we need apart from Him. Our independence is a…

Do we get excited about coming into God’s house? Does being God’s presence along with others thrill us? Read Psalm 122. I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord .” Psalms 122:1 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.122.1.NASB Going into the house of the Lord is an exciting time to be able to meet with others who also praise and worship our God and be able to do those things together. God loves the praise of his people. He really loves it when they do that together. Having an opportunity to meet together for praise, for worship, for encouragement, and for training is vital in…

The Lord is responsible for His children. He keeps them. Do we recognize how the Lord moves and works in our lives to be able to keep us? Read Psalm 121. He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber. Psalms 121:3 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.121.3.NASB Not only does God keep us, but He does an exceptionally good job of it. The Lord works and moves to make sure that we have what we need. He never falls asleep on the job and He never makes a mistake. He provides for us the very experiences and opportunities that He knows will help to shape us into…

Where do you go when experiencing difficulties? Troubles? Frustration? I know that God cares and He hears. See Psalm 120. In my trouble I cried to the Lord , And He answered me. Psalms 120:1 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.120.1.NASB There was trouble. The person called out to God. God responded. Those three steps are vital to moving through hard times. First, we have to recognize that we are in trouble because sometimes we don’t always see that until it’s much larger in the process. Next we have to go to God about it. We can’t just complain about it or go to our friends. We have to bring it to God. Finally,…

How much do you love God’s Word? For the psalmist, it was so much that the longest book of the Bible is dedicated to God’s Word. Read Psalm 119. I know, O Lord , that Your judgments are righteous, And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me. Psalms 119:75 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.119.75.NASB While there are many verses throughout this chapter that are challenging and amazing, this one stuck out to me today. God is righteous and his judgments are righteous. God knows when we need a gentle nudge back into the right path, and he knows we may need a hard shove back into the right path. God desires to see…

Reading Psalm 118 we see this verse. The Lord is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me? Psalms 118:6 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.118.6.NASB This verse has often been quoted by people going through hard and difficult times. Yet, when we think about it, there really are several things that people can do to us. Those are the things that come up in the back of our minds while we are dealing with the situation. The emphasis of the verse us more about the eternal things. What can man do to impact our eternal life, nothing at all. That is where we are at when it comes to…

Lovingkindness and truth. These often are not seen together. Many times people think of truth as being harsh or direct or even difficult to hear, yet the psalmist puts these together in Psalm 117. For His lovingkindness is great toward us, And the truth of the Lord is everlasting. Praise the Lord ! Psalms 117:2 NASB https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.117.2.NASB God’s lovingkindness is great and His truth is everlasting.  Sometimes the greatest thing we can do for someone is provide the truth or the knowledge of what they are going through and experiencing. God desires the best for us, and only by knowing and living out his truth can we truly understand what…