Have you ever faced a trial so great that it felt like there was no escape? It feels like the more you try to push your way to the surface, the more ferociously the current pulls you under. While we know that God is still in control, sometimes we wonder why He’s allowing us to go through such challenging struggles.
Over these past few months, I’ve been learning what trust actually looks like. It’s easy for me to encourage others to trust in God, but when it comes to my own problems, I quickly become overwhelmed by my what-ifs.
Sometimes Jesus calms the storm. Sometimes Jesus helps us to stay afloat through the storm. Sometimes Jesus is the one who sent the storm.
It’s hard to know why we encounter different circumstances and why our lives appear to be crumbling. However, our trust in our Savior is not dependent on our what-ifs. Our trust is in the Maker of the sun, moon, and stars, and He will be faithful through all our what-ifs and our even-ifs.
Hold on to God’s promises with your whole heart and refuse to let go. We may not get the answers or explanations we’ve desperately craved, but we get something much better. Joy. Peace. Hope. Fulfillment. These things will last forever, even when our circumstances shift with the changing wind.
In order to achieve trust, we must first have an active relationship with God. For many of us, we’ve heard Bible stories, gone to church several times, and prayed to God whenever we’re faced with obstacles. However, we can know a lot of information about our Savior without actually knowing our Savior on a personal level.
Trust is not merely a choice, it’s a commitment to believe every day of our lives. It requires repetition, discipline, and vulnerability. There will be many times where our natural instinct is to try to solve our problems on our own, look to others for deliverance, or try to “earn” God’s provision. If we’re not careful, comfort and control become our idols.
However, God invites us to respond and not just react. When trusting God doesn’t feel natural, we can establish daily habits. Trust doesn’t begin with a whole journey- it starts with a single step forward. As you put one foot in front of the other and fix your eyes on Jesus, turning to God becomes more instinctive.
God is greater than the battles that rage on. He is stronger than the giants that we face. His power is beyond anything that our minds could ever wrap around. He is a good God, and He is a good God to you.
If you’re struggling to trust God today, tell Him that. He already knows your heart, and He is not just wagging His finger at you in disappointment. Instead, He invites you to let go and let Him do what only He can. He’s going to show you that even through your doubts and fears, He will be faithful. He will always keep His promises to His beloved children. He delights in astounding you and showing up for you in a million different ways- all for our good and His glory.
There will be times when God brings the dry bones to life, and other times when He chooses to bury the dry bones. Amid our hardships, we can always trust God’s heart even when we don’t understand His will or His ways.
He celebrates every victory, and He mourns every tear alongside you. We can depend on our God because we know that His name will endure through all of the trials we will face.
Child of the King, you were not created to bear the weight of this world. Give it to Jesus. He holds the whole world in the palms of His hands. In fact, the same palms that hold the world are the same palms that were pierced so that you could be free.
Although Jesus could have chosen to leave no trace of His scars after His resurrection, He decided to keep them. His scars were not a reminder of death, but a promise of eternal life. His scars showed us that He empathizes with our weaknesses, relates to our troubles, and gives us hope in hopeless situations.
If the King of the Universe conquered death, the greatest hardship of all, how much more can He conquer the trials you’re facing today?
Instead of running from your problems, press into them- there is a Savior who cares about you immensely. Your troubles are an opportunity to experience God in a new way and understand His goodness on a deeper level.
In addition, the knowledge you’ve gained in the valley of shadows is a testimony to others who are also walking through the darkness. It’s a powerful reminder to them of the LORD who lights up their path and displays His power in astonishing ways.
There is a God who stays with us, fights for us, and delivers us from all our troubles. As you trust Him, He will remind you that your victory is always secure.
