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Allison Flexer

Trusting God in Tough Times: Trusting God No Matter What

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It’s inevitable. Tough times will come along during our lives. A pastor friend once told me something along these lines: “You’re either coming out of a time of struggle, in the midst of a difficult time, or heading toward a challenging time.” The Christian life (or any life) is not always a bed of roses—and the Bible doesn’t promise us a life free from trouble. This week, let’s take a Scriptural look at trusting God through difficult circumstances.

 

Trusting God No Matter What

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” 

Psalm 56:3-4, NIV

Skydiving_FRIDAYThis week, we have talked about times when it’s difficult to trust God—when bad things happen, when He seems silent, and when we don’t understand God’s plan. Ultimately, the goal is learning to trust God no matter what happens.

Sometimes, we must choose to trust even when we don’t feel like it, even when we’re afraid. In the face of difficult circumstances, we can choose to believe in God’s faithfulness and trust the outcome to Him. It won’t always be easy. Trusting in God may not be our human nature’s first inclination. But when we shift our focus to an eternal perspective, the troubles of this world can begin to fade away.

I want to come back to a verse I originally shared on Monday. This verse in 2 Corinthians gives us clear guidance regarding the struggle to maintain an eternal perspective:

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:17-18, NIV

Remember that the struggles we experience in this world won’t be present in eternity. God doesn’t promise us a life in this world without trouble or trials. However, God does promise to never leave us or forsake us. He promises to walk through it all with us—and to be with us always (Matthew 28:20, Isaiah 41:10).

As we learn to rest in the peace of His presence, we can praise God even in the midst of the trials and struggles we will inevitably face in this life. Trusting the Lord requires courage and faith. I believe it’s a lifelong journey of learning to lean on His promises and faithfulness.

When storms come your way, I pray you won’t lose heart. Instead, remember that you are safe in the arms of a sovereign and loving God. Your circumstances do not take Him by surprise, and He is fully able to do what He has promised.

Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. Romans 4:20-21, NIV

Learning to trust more fully,

Allison

Trusting God in Tough Times: When We Don’t Understand God’s Plan

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It’s inevitable. Tough times will come along during our lives. A pastor friend once told me something along these lines: “You’re either coming out of a time of struggle, in the midst of a difficult time, or heading toward a challenging time.” The Christian life (or any life) is not always a bed of roses—and the Bible doesn’t promise us a life free from trouble. This week, let’s take a Scriptural look at trusting God through difficult circumstances.

 

When We Don’t Understand God’s Plan

“Sovereign Lord, you are God! Your covenant is trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant.” 

2 Samuel 7:28, NIV

Maze_THURSDAYYou’ve just lost your job. You want to have a baby, but it’s not happening and you can’t understand why. A loved one has been diagnosed with cancer. Your marriage is falling apart in spite of your best efforts. Whatever your particular situation, your dreams are crushed and it hurts.

How can this be God’s plan for your life? Sometimes our dreams don’t come to fruition and our best laid plans fall apart.

When things don’t go according to my plans, I’m tempted to assume God has forgotten about me. Maybe the details of my life just aren’t important to the God of the universe. Can I trust Him? In the midst of my pain, I tend to blame God instead of trusting Him.

Even though we sometimes feel forgotten, God is present. He doesn’t overlook His promises to us. He delights in us and wants the best for us.

I love how Corrie ten Boom explained God’s plan. She said, “Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives is the perfect preparation for the future that only He can see.” (The Hiding Place). This is an especially powerful testimony since Corrie ten Boom spent almost a year suffering in three different prisons, including a concentration camp in Germany, after she and her family helped Jews escape the Nazi Holocaust during World War II. Ultimately, Corrie ten Boom was released (due to a technical error) and spent the next 40 years speaking and writing about God’s love and the power of forgiveness.

God is faithful, and He is able to use every circumstance to draw us closer to Him. Even if we can’t see how the pieces will fit together, God is weaving a beautiful story in our lives. He loves us more than we can imagine. In that infinite love, he created a plan for each of us. We can trust that God will show up. Believe anything is possible with God. He is trustworthy.

Dear Lord, we put ourselves and our futures in your hands. We believe you will do a powerful work with and through our lives. We submit our plans to you. Line up our plans with Your plans. God, Your plans are greater and Your ways higher.

Learning to trust more fully,

Allison

Trusting God in Tough Times: When God Seems Silent

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It’s inevitable. Tough times will come along during our lives. A pastor friend once told me something along these lines: “You’re either coming out of a time of struggle, in the midst of a difficult time, or heading toward a challenging time.” The Christian life (or any life) is not always a bed of roses—and the Bible doesn’t promise us a life free from trouble. This week, let’s take a Scriptural look at trusting God through difficult circumstances.

 

When God Seems Silent

“Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief. Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.” 

Psalm 22:2-3, NLT

Prayer_Statue_WEDNESDAYI have experienced seasons in life when I felt like God was completely silent. I poured my heart out in prayer to God and nothing happened. I struggled to feel God’s presence, even though I clung to His promises to never leave me. There have been other times when I felt intimately close to God, like He was sitting right next to me.

How do we explain those times when God is seemingly silent? What happens when our prayers appear to go unheard or unanswered?

Yesterday, we talked about how God’s ways are different from our ways. This is one of those instances where we can’t read God’s mind. We may need to accept a season when we’re not hearing God as clearly as we have in the past. Through His silence, He may ask us to wait on His timing. Waiting can be very challenging, though, especially if we focus on our own plans and timetable.

Waiting is difficult, but it always has a purpose. Waiting has taught me to rely on God more fully. In some cases, my faith is stronger because some desires weren’t immediately fulfilled. I didn’t hear God for a time, but I didn’t give up on Him. We can learn to depend on God to give us peace and trust Him to bring good things, even if those things look different from what we expected.

In times of silence, it’s important not to become impatient and take matters into own our hands. I’ve made big mistakes when I chose to act rashly because I was tired of waiting on God to give me direction.

In the Bible, David sought God and had an intimate relationship with Him. Even though David made mistakes and sinned, He always ran back to God seeking forgiveness and restoration. Even considering David’s close relationship with God, he still experienced many instances of God’s silence (Psalm 109:1, Psalm 28:1, Psalm 83:1). Through it all, David praised the name of God and remembered His holiness. And God didn’t abandon or forsake David. In God’s own timing, He revealed His plans for David’s life.

Learning to trust God even when He is silent can be a huge step in our faith journey. And when we see the outcome, we can give all the credit to God:

“Let them see that this is your doing, that you yourself have done it, Lord.” Psalm 109:27, NLT

Learning to trust more fully,

Allison