When was the last time you went through a challenging time? Perhaps you’re in one right now. What did you do to get through it? Did you make sure you were well rested? Or perhaps you spent a lot of time praying because it was the only way you could cope.
Whatever we do the one thing that usually keeps us going is hope. Hope that this is only temporary and that better days are coming. But sometimes we lose that hope and we become overwhelmed and find ourselves screaming and crying in despair, we question everything and wonder why this is happening to us and blame God too sometimes. We can feel so lost and alone that even though we know we should turn to God we often don’t. This is not always because we have lost our trust in Him, sometimes it’s simply that our emotions are too powerful for us to handle, and we forget that God can handle them. Sometimes it’s because we are afraid to be vulnerable with God and admit our wrongs even though He knows them already. At least this is my experience.
Trusting in God’s guidance and strength isn’t always easy, particularly during challenging times but it is necessary. It’s necessary because God knows best and He can use these tough situations for good, to help us grow. We may have questions and doubts but it is important to remember that God is always with us even when it doesn’t feel like it.
Each person who knows God has a different relationship with Him, one that is personal and unique. It is not our place to judge or compare the relationships that others have with God. What matters is that we have a personal connection with God and bear the fruit that proves our faith is not dead. Sure we want others to know God and receive salvation but what good is preaching something we don’t practice?
It is important in these difficult times to prioritise our relationship with God and to turn to Him for comfort and strength because He is our source of hope and we can find peace in His presence. We should also make sure we take good of ourselves by making sure we get enough rest, eating healthily and practising other types of self-care. We need to take care of ourselves and rest to endure the tough times. But other than that we need God because He can help us navigate the challenges we face.
“Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.”
1 Chronicles 16:11
In challenging times when we don’t turn to God we can often make things worse for ourselves. We try to find our own solutions or take shortcuts which fail. We can be clouded by our emotions which lead us to make choices that are not wise. But in these moments we should turn back to God, open up the Bible and remind of the promises He has fulfilled and the faithfulness He has shown to His people throughout history. When we turn to the Bible God can speak through it and provide us with guidance on how to get through our challenging times.
God is there to comfort us when things get tough, He can strengthen us when we are weak, He is a safe person to speak to when there is no one else we can trust and He can use the situation for good regardless of how long it will last and lead us through them safely. He can help us through the difficult times like no one else can but we do have to turn to Him for that to happen.
“Though I have fallen, I will stand up; though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be light.”
Micah 7:8
We may feel ashamed that in our efforts to make things better, we’ve done things we’re not proud of. We’ve sinned and we may feel embarrassed that we didn’t turn to God sooner. God doesn’t care as much about those things as we might think, He is happy that we have turned to Him when we could’ve stayed away. He is happy that we have listened to wisdom and have turned to Him for guidance. He wants us to turn to Him but doesn’t force us to do so. He wants us to come to Him willingly and only then can He help us and take our shame away.
When we do turn to God it is important to approach with humility and seek His mercy and grace. We should apologise for distancing ourselves and apologise for blaming Him for our troubles. We must let ourselves be vulnerable with God and honest about how we truly feel. We can’t hold anything back. When we do this we allow ourselves to surrender everything to God and trust in His control. We need to accept that while there are aspects of life we can’t control we can feel safe knowing He is in control and will work things for good as it says in Romans 8.
“The light shines in the darkness, and yet the dark did not overcome it.”
John 1:5
Times may be dark but it will not overcome God, He is the light of the world. There is no shadow in this world that He cannot break through. The darkness flees from His presence. We can have faith because He has proved His love for us over and over again, we can have faith because He has helped countless people through their difficult times and given them their breakthroughs at the right time. We can have faith because we know it will happen to us, we just have to trust in God’s timing knowing it is perfect and He will bring breakthrough at the right time.
“Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.”
James 1:2-4
In the book of James, it is written that we should consider these challenging times a great joy because such times will produce endurance or perseverance. While it may be true that we develop perseverance as a result of such times we don’t often consider it a joy, usually we’d call it a hardship or a trial. Regardless of how we view such times, it is clear there is a need for a mindset change, we need to stop complaining about our troubles and suffering all the time and start thinking about how we can make the most of it, what God would want us to do in such times. If we start thinking like this and start being grateful for what we do have in these seasons just imagine how much better you would feel than living in the negative. As hard as these seasons are we should see them as opportunities to grow and let God work on us in them.
“The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the person who seeks him.”
Lamentations 3:25
God wants us to seek Him and put Him first in all things. He cares for us and will provide for our needs if we seek Him and wait on His timing. It is essential to trust that God has a plan for us, even if it may not align with our own. We should commit our plans to Him, knowing that He will establish them and guide us in the right direction.
“A person’s heart plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps.”
Proverbs 16:9
In this challenging time, I don’t know what you’re facing but I do know that the Lord cares for you and wants you to turn to Him. I know you may have made plans to help get you out of your situation and make things better but perhaps you are in this place for a reason, perhaps you have something to learn and I would just advise you to take your concerns and plans to God. He will hear you and respond in His own time but it means you no longer have to carry that burden because He is carrying it for you. God has a plan for you, one that will not harm you but give you hope, give Him a chance to make it happen. If you choose to follow your own path and try and take shortcuts you may just delay what He has for you or worse He could delegate it to someone else.
“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.”
Proverbs 16:3
It’s okay to have plans and dreams, God gave you the desire for such things, but ultimately it is God who should have the final say because He knows your whole story. Do you really want to stray from the good He has planned for you? If the answer is anything other than a definite no, then your thoughts betray where your heart truly lies and you do not really know God. It’s not too late to change that if it is the case. You could receive salvation right now and know what it truly means to know God.
Saved or unsaved it’s hard to face challenges in this life but with God, we know we can rely on Him to strengthen us in our weakness and provide for us. With God, we can pray our worries away as He lifts the burden for us and He uses the challenging times to shape us into the people we were always meant to be. By surrendering everything we can experience the fullness of life that He has planned for us and live in peace.
Perhaps you’ve been holding back from giving God everything. Perhaps out of fear, I want you to consider the first three verses of Psalm 27 and I will end on this reflection.
“The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom should I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life – whom should I dread? When evildoers came to devour my flesh, my foes and enemies stumbled and fell. Though an army deploys against me, my heart will not be afraid; though a war breaks out against me, I will still be confident.”
Psalm 27:1-3
God can save your soul and give you a new beginning. He can light your path and save you from the darkness that lives within you. He can destroy your demons and free you from the chains that hold you back. He can be your refuge in dark times and be your source of hope. He has proved Himself to you, open the Bible and you will see. He has saved many others and wants to save you too. He is just waiting to hear from you. What are you waiting for?
Wholeheartedly Faithul 
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