The Lord Has Done Great Things For Us: 3 Ways To Survive

The Lord has done great things for us… we believe that even when we don’t feel it…

Do you find yourself in the midst of a hard season? 

It feels like our family has been fighting through a cycle of challenging trials with no end in sight for years.  How do we hold onto hope when life is tough? 

As Christians, there is a joy that lives within each of us in the Holy Spirit, but even that can feel dry when there are too many bad days.  The key is two-fold:

1. Remember that the Lord has done great things for us.
2. Hold onto the truth that He never changes to keep hope alive.

We Struggle To Remember The Lord Has Done Great Things For Us 

“Do not fear, O land, rejoice and be glad, For the Lord has done great things.” (Joel 2:21 NASB) 

There is an old hymn that says, “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.”  I can so relate to the words.  

Do you tend to wander from God too?  It is normal. Don’t feel judged in the question. 

• We come to Christ, broken and weak. 
• God heals us and fixes our mess. 
• Life comes in and steals the fire of our salvation. 
• Before we know it, we’re testing the line of sin, walking with our old crowd, forgetting our daily time with God. 

Prone to wonder. 

Then God steps in to remind you, “You are mine”. 

Maybe He allows a hard season, or perhaps He sends a gentle nudge.  Then back to God, we turn and we remember that He said, “Be still because the Lord has done great things for us.”

We All Struggle

The truth is that we are all in this together in our humanity.  We all struggle to remember the amazing things God has done.  Sometimes we even take them for granted.  

Forgetting God’s greatness and faithfulness is not new to us!  The Bible is filled with stories of heroes of our faith who needed to be reminded too about the great things God has done.  God has done great things for us all and yet, we all struggle just as they all struggled.

Where In The Bible Does It Say God Is Doing Great Things For Us?

The power of the Holy Spirit is shown through the works of God through so many bible verses!  But specifically, what is the Lord has done great things for me Bible verse?

There are countless Scripture verses about the great things God has done for us.  Many say the phrase outright, while others give examples of God’s greatness and trustworthiness. 

Some of my favorites are below:

“Only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you.” (1 Samuel 12:24 NASB”

“And He did not let him, but He (Jesus Christ) *said to him, “Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.”” (Mark 5:19 NASB)

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son (Christ Jesus), that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NASB)

The Lord Has Done Great Things for Us and We Are Filled with Joy

At a women’s conference years ago I heard a song created based on Psalm 126 that touched my heart forever.   

The song went through the entire Psalm right from the Holy Bible! But this part touched me the most.  

The Lord has done great things for us Song:

“Then our mouth was filled with laughter
And our tongue with joyful shouting;
Then they said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
The Lord has done great things for us;
We are glad. (Psalm 126:2-3 NASB)

I’ve not heard the song since, but it plays on in my mind.  The Lord has done great things for me – lyrics from the Bible are beautiful!  I want it said among the nations that God has done great things for me!  

Did you find this mid-series?  Go back here and read the intro and keep up with the series.

What Does Psalm 126 Mean?

Psalm 126 is a beautiful reminder to see all that our Father God does as great. it was written as one of the songs of joy (or Song of Ascents) for the Israelites

What is the meaning of Psalm 126:1? The introduction to this Psalm shows us they were captives  (The captivity of Zion) but the Lord freed them. It felt like a dream when God set them free. A good dream!

What is Psalm 126:3 Specifically? Verse 3 tells us to be glad! Glad that trials come. Glad that God is with us through those trials!

Looking for the Psalm 126:3 meaning is simple. The Lord has done great things for Isreal. Even the hard things God allows to teach difficult lessons are great things! And through those trials we should be filled with Joy. That is what this, “The Lord has done great things for us verse,” means!

Find joy, even in the trials, even in the droughts. God is great and His love is great!

Do Not Fear, For He Has Done Great Things

“Do not fear, O land, rejoice and be glad, For the Lord has done great things.” (Joel 2:21 NASB) 

Our focus verse today is Joel 2:21.  In this passage, we see three clear instructions about being still with God and not dwelling on fear.  Let’s look at the context of Joel 2:21 to fully understand how rejoicing in what God has done will help with our fear.

Joel is a small overlooked book near the end of the Old Testament.  Though it is small it is packed with prophecy and application to our lives almost 3000 years later!

Joel’s Book Is Different

Some things to know about the context before we begin:

• The writing of Joel is hard to date but many believe he was sent to Israel after their return from captivity. 
• Joel 2 contains a complex warning that many commentaries argue about.
  • Is God warning Israel about two attacks?
    • One by locusts and another by a strong army?
    • Or is the prophet poetically describing the army of locusts in the second half?
      • That is not the focus of our study today, but it is fascinating if you have time to dig in (find more here).
• Israel actually listened to Joel, heading the warning of God.

Joel contains promises that apply both to Israel then and to us today if we will turn from wandering from God.

Locusts and Drought

It is clear that Joel wanted Israel to have eyes to see the great things God has done throughout their history.  

Whatever the nature of the attack in Joel 2:1-11, we can all agree it is terrifying to even imagine.  God obviously starts with the locusts because Israel experienced a plague of locusts once before in Egypt and would understand how much they should still fear God.

Locusts come in swarms and can decimate an entire plant ecosystem in days.  Everyone has to eat so the thought of the impending famine would bring anyone to their knees!

3 Steps To Survive Spiritual Famine Because the Lord Has Done Great Things1. Rejoice2. Be glad3. Remember Share on X

Spiritual Locusts 

Has there been a swarm of locusts come through and ravage your life?

Maybe you lost a job, only to find you were sick (now without insurance).  Have your grown children begun walking in rebellion to their faith in God?

Not sure what spiritual locusts might look like?  For me, it’s been:

• 30+ years of anxiety
• Abuse
• Rape
• Neglect
• Miscarriages
• Betrayal
• Divorce
• Bankruptcy
• Difficult marriage
• Mothering a child with special needs
• Living on one income and the fear of poverty
• Chronic illness and chronic pain

Related Post: 5 Ways to Handle Mistakes in Marriage

In this season I find myself spiritually dry.  The locusts of life have decimated the energy I had and there could easily be a famine.

3 Steps To Survive Spiritual Famine Because the Lord Has Done Great Things

The reality is that we all experience hardships in life.  There can be a lean toward fear when life starts to get hard.  How do we survive?  Joel tells us to do three things to ward off the fear when trials come.  

1. Rejoice
2. Be glad
3. Remember

Rejoice

The Lord has done great things for me and in the midst of that, I can rejoice.  Yes, we know to rejoice when God does great things in our lives, but this command to rejoice goes further. Joel is warning that the people are about to be attacked.  A war is coming in some way.  And in the midst of that warning, he says rejoice.  

How can we rejoice in the face of the trials?  I know remembering is point number three, but it is actually woven into all of the points here. 

From the very beginning, Joel is reminding Israel that God has always been faithful.  God is so good to remind us of His faithfulness because we forget easily.  Remembering what God has done helps us rejoice in the trials.

In the midst of all the hard times in life, the Lord has done great things and it is marvelous to look back.  Looking back drives home a desire to praise Him and rejoice in Him.  

Be Glad

It almost feels crazy to say that we can be glad when hard times come into our lives, but we can. No, you may not be glad that you lost your job, but you can be glad in God’s faithfulness.  You probably won’t be glad there is a drama with your neighbor, but you can be glad in God’s trustworthiness.  

Through every hardship we face, God is there.  His salvation is secure.  Your position in His family is unchanging.  And in the midst of the trials we face, we have a front-row seat to see the God of the Universe move on our behalf.  

Think about it, through every season where hard things have come in with locusts, drought, and famine, God has been there. 

When areas of my life have been utterly destroyed, even when I feared God had done it, He was there.  Yes, God has done great things for me, even in the midst of locust attacks and drought!

We can choose to be glad because we know God will be with us.  Not only will He be with us in the trials, but He will bring us through to the other side of the trials better than we were when we went into them.  

After, God always comes in and restores what is broken. 

Related Post: Where Is God In Your Life?

Remember

Because I have walked through many hard seasons I know God is bigger than my problems. God is bigger than my trials, bigger than my hard seasons.  

Have you seen God do great things in your life?

Some of the things God has done in my life over the past few years are:

• God saved my lost husband.
  • He took the desire to drink away and he is walking in remission from alcoholism.
• God walked with me through abuse.
  • The broken pieces that came from abuse have given me the grace and compassion to help countless women.
• God brought provision in miraculous ways.
  • Now I know that when I can’t see a way to make ends meet, I can look up and expect great things from God.
• God allowed loss and pain in some seasons.
  • Deep healing came through the tragedies and walking through the process of grief.

God has done great things in my life. God used those hard seasons to grow my faith, temper my character, and develop the spiritual disciplines that prepared me for this current difficulty. Has He done the same for you?

When life gets hard again, remembering the times He’s been faithful in the past keeps my hope alive.

Remember that God Has Done Great Things

What great things the Lord has done for us!!!!!  He moves in our lives, working in us to bring about blessings we can’t even understand!  He does all that on top of saving us and making a way for us to spend eternity with Him!

Preparing You For Your Calling

All along the way through life, God has been preparing you for your calling.  Yes, God has put a calling on your life.  

Do you believe you are a child of God?  If you are children of God you can trust that God is good and will do good for you – His child.  Yes God is good, even when life is hard! 

Not only is God good, but also, God is love and God is faithful.  He has called you for a purpose and will equip you to do that purpose. 

As you walk through trials and hardships, remember that He is with you preparing you to keep your hope alive. 

Related Post: Knowing God as a Loving Father

Glory

We can give glory to God for all things. The good, bad, and ugly parts of your life all are working together because He has a plan that is for our good.

God’s plan for your life will include hard things but you can trust that God’s grace is sufficient to get you through the hard times.

We are called to give God glory, in fact, if we don’t the rocks will cry out (Luke 19:37-40).  We are able to give Him glory in the moment of trials by remembering what God has done in the past to grow us. 

Survive With Hope and Joy Through Praise

How do we survive the hard times of life with hope?  Remember that the Lord has done great things for us!

Have you heard songs about the great things God has done? Phil Wickham’s Great Things is one that inspires me. Listen to how many times God has done great things is in the lyrics!  When I sing it in praise, it really helps me remember.

Praising God through song is a sure-fire way to keep your hope and joy through challenges. 

God’s Promise

Finally, in this passage in Joel, we see a promise from God to heal us when we are broken.

“Then I will make up to you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten…” (Joel 2:25 NASB)

When life is hard, remember that God will heal you, redeem you, restore you, and bless you!  When we turn to Him through difficult times He will rain down blessings in our lives! He promises!!!!

Will you turn to Him instead of wandering from Him when life gets hard?  

A Prayer To Remember That God Has Done Great Things

Holy Spirit,

You have done great things!  I praise You and thank You for all the great things the Lord has done as I cry out, “God, help me.”  How can I ever thank you enough for the forgiveness every single time I’ve wondered?

Help me remember all the great things, miraculous things that have come every time I pressed into God, abiding in You instead of walking away and trying to fix things myself.  Today I glorify You and give You the freedom to move in my heart, reveal what You want to change, and have Your own way.

Father, I repent of the sin that so easily tangles me up.  Show me how to turn from it and toward You to avoid another devastating season of locusts.  I trust You and choose to be still with you instead of being filled with fear and anxiety today.

Amen

The Lord Has Done Great Things For Us KJV

The Lord has done great things for us!  Yes, the Lord has done great things for me, and holy is His name (Lol, I learned it in that KJV style)!  It is marvelous and I can never praise Him enough.  If only we could remember that when life gets hard…

But if we begin practicing the advice from Joel 2 now, by the next time we get into a trial we will be ready to hold tight to our hope and joy!  

Will you begin working toward surviving the next locust attack with me? Which step to surviving Spiritual drought will you start with?

1. Rejoice
2. Be glad
3. Remember

in HIM,

If you enjoyed this, you will like these posts: 

• How to Praise God in Anxiety
• Hope When Life is Hard Pressed On Every Side
• The Blessing of Praising God in Difficult Times