Are you walking through a difficult time and wondering whether you will get through it or not? The answer is always yes when God is involved. The enemy may seek to tell you that you will not, but you will. In times of great difficulty, people often wonder how they will be able to continue. The pain may seem too great for them to handle or the sorrow to deep. They often asks, “Will anything good come out of this tragedy?” When God is involved, the answer is always yes!
However, it may take time, in some cases, years, before you realize that God’s providential hand is always at work in your life. When you do, you also will come to know that you were never alone, forgotten, or abandoned. At every turn, Jesus was beside you. God has not forgotten you. In fact, He acknowledges the fact that your name is written on the very palm of His hand. (Isa.49:16). With this truth in mind, why would you ever worry? If we trust God we will never know defeat. We may suffer at times, be disappointed at times, and even face discouragement, but we will never lack anything. God is faithful, and He will provide exactly what we need, when we need it.
There is only one way to face adversity, and that is by faith in Jesus Christ. Far too often, we want to see miles beyond where we are standing. The reason living life for Christ is a walk of faith is because this is what we are called to do. Trust Him for today and tomorrow and all the days that will follow. We are trained by life’s adversity to either trust God or ourselves. Either you struggle with life’s difficulties, or you turn them over to the Lord and ask Him to give you the wisdom and strength that you need to handle each one. When you commit your life to Him, He will take care of all that concerns you. That is His promise.
God is our comforter in times of trial and sorrow. He is our refuge and strength when we feel we cannot face another trying day. He is our protection when problems grow too large for us to handle, and He is our shield and deliverer. There is no reason for us to be fearful because He is with us at every moment and at every turn. He is sovereign. This means that He has full knowledge of the problem or sorrow we are facing, and He is all-powerful. Nothing is beyond His ability to heal or restore.
God is concerned over every area of your life. He never sees your problem as insignificant. He knows small issues can quickly develop into large problems. Therefore, no matter how large or small a difficulty may appear, make a habit of praying about it. Through the difficulties of life, God is training you to come to Him in times of trouble and in times of joy and gladness. He never wants you to view your time in prayer as just a place to dump your worries. He has a greater purpose in mind. God’s first desire is for us to draw near to Him in order to enjoy His presence and fellowship. He wants you to develop a desire to know Him intimately. Instead of going to God in prayer with a list of things you think you need, spend time with Him in worship. Praise Him and tell Him that you only want to live your life for Him. Rest in His presence, and you will find that He knows what you need even though it was never mentioned.
If you are not sure about the direction you are about to take, pray as Moses prayed, “If your presence does not go with me, then do not lead me up from there. Block my path, and guide me so that I will be in the center of your will” (Ex.33:15). Each day, you make hundreds of decisions. Your circumstances feel urgent. And for the believer who wants to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, they are. Every decision is important to God. He wants to give you direction and guidance so you will not get off track or make a mistake. This prayer based on Jeremiah 29:11 is essential to gaining His strength in times of adversity: Lord, show me how to pray that I may know your will for my life and situation. Give me the ability to see my situation from Your perspective. Help me to understand that You have a future planned for me, and it is one full of hope and promise.
In Psalm 32:8, the Lord says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way in which you should go, I will counsel you with My eye upon you.” This is a clear promise of the Lord that He will give you direction for your life. In Proverbs, He tells us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (3:5-6). These verses provide specific promises telling us that God will guide and protect us.
We may not fully understand the problems we face, but God does perfectly. He knows the right words to speak to our hearts so that we are encouraged, lifted up, and sense His covering of protection falling down around us. However, we must be still enough in our spirits to hear Him when He speaks. Are you listening? Or are you still talking nonstop to Him about the circumstances of your life? In times of crisis, He wants you to be still and know that He is God (Psa. 46:10). You may feel as if your life is in a vortex of trouble, but if you ask Him to show you how to be still before Him, He will, and in the calm of His presence, you will hear Him speak words of hope and encouragement. There are three ways God speaks to us today. Through His Word, through His Holy Spirit who lives within the life of a believer, and through a trusted Christian friend of pastor. However, before you can hear his voice, you must be still enough to listen.
So often, problems that arise in our lives come as a result of our not obeying God. We may be focused only on our desires, but He coaches us to turn to another direction. Still, we ignore His voice, and we suffer the consequences of our disobedience. The nation of Israel spent forty years wandering in the wilderness as a result of not listening to God. He led the people to the very door of the promised land, but they refused to go in and claim He had given them. Through out the years that followed this moment of disobedience, God remained committed to the nation of Israel. No matter how many wrong turns they took, He was determined to teach them how to hear His voice and to do what He had given them to do, which was to enter a land of goodness and blessings. God is long-suffering. He will never give up on you. He sees all that lies behind you and knows what is all ahead. He is omniscient and committed to your success because He knows that when you succeed, you will bring honor and glory to Him.
No one can escape adversity. Either we are passing through a dark valley or we see one approaching. Life is full of trials. However, it is brimming with victory too. Just as there are consequences to sin, there are consequences to obedience. When you focus your heart on doing exactly what God wants you to do, you will experience one victory after another. Your life will be framed in peace and a deep sense of joy. You will also have hope for the future, hope for the present, and hope in all that you do. Believe, pray and know that when adversity touches your life, God is at work, and He will bring you through this season of adversity victoriously. Claim the victory, because regardless of the outcome, God has promised to work all things together for our good and His glory (Romans 8:28).
We are never alone in our heartache. God is with us. At times, it may feel as though He is not listening or watching, but He is. He understands when we feel forgotten, weary, and overwhelmed. In times of crisis, our goal should be to discover His will for our lives concerning the problem. Then we should ask him to show us how we can faithfully obey Him.
Adversity teaches us the importance of obeying God. Obedience is the foundation to every area of our christian life. Obey God, and He will guide you through the stormy times to a place of great blessing. This may or may not mean material blessing. The true blessings of God can rarely be counted because He places them within our hearts. There is no eternal value that we can assign to the eternal love of God, the overflowing goodness of His mercy and grace, and His compassion that holds us and keeps us secure whenever the winds of adversity blow hard against us. Obey God, and you will know what it means to walk in the light of His eternal love and grace.
Many times, when trouble comes, we think, I’ve got to do something. An opportunity presents itself, and we jumped at it. People sink deeper into trouble because they refuse to be still and listen for God’s word of guidance. They jump ahead of the Lord and wonder why their lives are so troubled. God’s timing is perfect. He knows when to motivate us to move forward and when to hold us back. Waiting is an active step of faith and obedience. Until He tells you to move, you can rest in His presence knowing that the Prince of Peace is at work in you life.
God uses adversity to shape and mold us so we become men and women of faith. People that reflect His love and mercy to others. Jesus knew the disciples could not minister to others until their lives have been broken by adversity. Each time the Savior allowed some hardships to come their way, He was preparing them for the future and for their ministry. When you see someone who is hurting, ask God to give you the wisdom you need to respond with compassion and understanding.
After a sudden death of his wife, a middle-aged man announced to his friends that he could not be alone. He needed a wife. Therefore, he remarried and quickly risked bypassing God’s best to meet a need in his life. Loneliness is something that comes from not being at peace with God’s presence and not being satisfied in what He has provided. Let patience complete its work in your life so that you will mature, wanting nothing other than what God in His grace and mercy freely gives to you. A sign of genuine maturity is to be patient with the Lord. God has your need within His sight, and He will meet it according to His timetable. Remember, timing is everything to God.
Never allow loneliness to drive you to do something that you will regret later. God knows the frustrations of your heart, the feeling of rejection that threatens to overwhelm you with sadness, and the burdens you bear that seek to crush every notion of hope within you. We may not have the strength to trust God, but Christ within us will give us this ability. The same strength that Paul talked about Philippians 4:13 when he wrote, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
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