How to Trust God with the Hard Stuff
God, why would you let this happen?
Have you said those words in your life?
Me too. But, right afterward, I blamed myself.
I did this. God didn’t. But He can change it.
The core verses I always refer to are about trusting God.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths” Proverbs 3:5-6, NKJV
How can we trust God when He has the power to change everything … and He doesn’t?
When life-changing things occur in our lives, our faith is shaken to its core.
If you’ve faced a terrible situation, you never thought or hoped it would happen to you. It’s almost worse if you have a strong faith because it’s just so easy to blame God.
He has control, so why didn’t He intervene?
Now, some events are especially heartbreaking. Those ones you read about and say, Oh my gosh, I don’t know what I would do if that happened. That’s horrible!
If you’ve experienced one of those, you know what it’s like to travel down a hole of despair and not see daylight for weeks, maybe months. A pit in your stomach filled with guilt and anger, with no cure except occasional blame. Yourself, God, the mailman for waking you up by knocking on your door … it doesn’t matter.
You blame the world.
And you hate it.
And you’re afraid of it.
On the contrary, when a great event happens, we do this weird thing to ourselves, trying not to get too happy about it.
Imposter syndrome.
Have you heard the term?
Yep, you feel like you’re a stand-in or a fake.
It shouldn’t be you getting the blessings, and it’s just a matter of time before it all falls apart.
Conversely, when good things happen, you may dodge imposter syndrome by being grateful.
Gratitude is great, but sometimes when everything has worked out, you stop doing what you did leading up to them working out.
For example, you prayed every morning and built a relationship with God while going through something challenging. All that praying helped you talk to Him and listen to His direction.
When He works in your life, and you experience an answered prayer, you stop talking. It’s so easy to get lost in the good stuff, too, because we want to savor it. But we often forget about God.
Do you see how you are tested in both good and bad situations?
Faith takes commitment, but not the way YOU think.
It takes submission to God.
Trust what God tells you, but also His control in your life. Even when you think He isn’t listening.
Your commitment doesn’t mean doing everything you can to make changes yourself.
It means doing everything you can to surrender to God.
You don’t have the strength to handle some things. That’s why He is your Rock.
There’s a verse I want to share with you and look at differently.
“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” 1 Corinthians 10:13
Think about that word temptation.
Immediately you think of being curious to do something bad, right?
Well, let’s face it, we make mistakes and want bad things sometimes as human beings.
But temptation means pulling you away from God. Usually, it’s associated with seeking the world instead of Him.
When we turn to ourselves for answers, isn’t that pulling away from God, too?
No matter how torn apart you feel, God is always there for you.
In your weakest moment, His strength can overcome.
Don’t be tempted to run from Him because you’re hurt or mad at Him. Run towards Him with it.
He is faithful and will NOT let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.
He knows you’re hurting, and He hears your cry.
God says He will make a way of escape so you can handle it.
When your faith is tested, He is faithful toward you. He will give you what you need to handle whatever is happening in your life.
Whether it’s a great blessing or pure anguish, He equips you.
So how do we trust God with the hard stuff that happens?
Submit in faith to Him.
He knows what you need. He’s the only One who truly understands your heart.
Don’t stop spending time with Him. Just pray to accept His will for your life.
That’s exactly what Jesus did. Jesus’ relationship with God, His Father, is an example for us.