#FEARLESS365 is a yearlong study of God’s commandment to us to live without fear. For 365 days, we will focus on one scripture and volunteers from all over the world will share their personal thoughts and what God has shared with them on the specific verse. For more info… go here.

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. 

Psalm 107:28, NIV

Life is full of trouble.  One moment everything is calm, then the next thing you know you are in the middle of a storm.  Like a sailor at sea in the middle of a storm, the problems of life overwhelm you and you don’t know what to do.  The trials are so great that you cannot possibly fix them.  But when it’s out of your hands, it’s time to cry out to the God who can calm the troubled waters and solve your problems.

When I first got saved, I had no idea what a battle the Christian life would be.  But I soon learned that we are at war with Satan and that he will do everything in his power to stop us from being faithful to our Lord.  While in high school I had both of my grandfathers pass away just before Christmas.  I saw my pastor resign and the church split.  I went to Bible college, only to return a few weeks later with an injured knee that kept me out of work for months.  I know what it is like to be down and to think that God has forgotten me.

But I also know that God has heard my cry and delivered me out of my distress.  For years, I have endured the slanderous tongues of some who opposed me entering the ministry.  I even had a lady tell me to my face that I would never pastor Hispanics where I live without her permission!  I found out that God had other plans for me and he wasn’t concerned with what she wanted.  I have now been the Hispanic Pastor at Stanleytown’s Amazing Grace Baptist Church for about a year.

If you are in a storm and you don’t know what to do, cry out to the only one who has the power to deliver you from your present circumstances.  He is listening and is willing to help you in your time of need.

James D. Oakes is a Hispanic Pastor and Construction Worker who lives in Martinsville, Virginia, USA.