“The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all;”
I heard a story about a farmer who moved to a foreign land to live out his dream of farming and helping the people where he grew up. He brought his entire family, kids, wife, and all. When the planting season came, he planted corn, beans, and all kinds of good things. He watched every plant until it sprouted flowers and grew its fruit or head of corn. It was a wonderful thing to watch. Unfortunately, the ground was not right for those plants, and he lost everything. Devastated and deep in debt, he fell into depression and sought the advice of a friend.
His friend told him he might try planting potatoes. The only thing about planting potatoes is that it would cost him everything to purchase the seed, and you would not know if you had a good crop until the plant dies at the end of the growing season and you dig up the potatoes. He resisted at first, but he went ahead and planted the potato seeds. Potatoes had not been planted in that area at all, and the chance of another failed crop was high. After planting the seeds, he prayed to the Lord for favor and blessing over the crop. A long growing season came, and he watched the plants grow green and lush, not knowing if beneath the ground lay a crop of potatoes or nothing. The story ends when he finally digs up the first dead potato plant to reveal a bumper crop of potatoes. A blessed man, he rejoices and praises the Lord.
Verse 19 assures us of troubles as righteous men and women of God. It also assures us that the Lord will deliver us from all of them. The farmer would have never tried planting potatoes at first, it was only after the failed crops he planted before that he was driven to do something and step out in faith. The Lord will deliver you from all of your troubles, but you will go through them. Those troubles have a way of deepening our faith in the Lord and stretching our beliefs.
Jesus said when He healed people that their faith had made them well. Focusing on troubles is like a doctor looking at a gunshot wound but doing nothing about it, forgetting a life hangs in the balance. Troubles will happen to all of us, the righteous will find God in the middle of the trial and will be delivered. The last man standing is the one whose faith is in the Lord. Are you focused on the trouble or the Deliverer?
Prayer: Father, help us to focus completely on You in all that life seems to throw our way. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Let It Go 
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