Scriptures: 2 Timothy 4:16-18, Hebrews 13:5, Psalm 138:8

Everyone faces a time in life when the flood seems to be rising all around, and we feel like we’re just treading water for dear life. We never know the true scope of the troubles our people face when they face is from the pews. They may be out of work, they may be physically sick, they may be financially broke; perhaps because of marriage problems, or family problems, they are emotionally devastated.

Sitting in a Roman dungeon, facing imminent death, Paul penned in four sentences a literal treasure-trove of truth about trouble. For the person in the flood of trouble, his words are a lifeline. Through Paul's words in 1 Timothy, Dr. Merritt shares three principles that you must always remember when you are in your dungeon of despair, your dungeon of discouragement, your dungeon of disappointment, your dungeon of disillusionment, that will be like a life preserver in a stormy sea, and will give you victory no matter what the trouble might be; three things to always remember about trouble.

"God did not save Paul from his trial.He stood with him through his trial and strengthened him in his trial. God does not save us from the valley of the shadow of death.He does something better. He walks with us through the valley of the shadow of death. Jesus did not come to get us out of trouble.He came to get into trouble with us. Perhaps one of the greatest three word phrases of all is, 'I’ll be there.'Those words sound good from a plumber when your water pipes burst over a weekend; when your car breaks down on the highway and you’ve used your last minutes of cell phone battery to call a friend; that’s really all you want to hear. I want to tell you that our Heavenly King will never leave his subjects under any circumstances.He will be there." --Dr. Merritt

Keywords: Tarzan, Jane, Johnny Weismuller, scotch, whiskey, Paul, trouble, heartache, Roman, prison, dungeon, Queen Elizabeth, England, Margaret Rose, Rock of Ages, Prima Actio, Secunda Actio, advocate, Christopher Reeve, Nelson Mandela, Valley Forge, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Glenn Cunningham, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Albert Einstein, Corrie Ten Boom, Andrew Murray