How to Trust God in hard times If you’ve ever wondered how to trust God in a crisis, how to trust God in hard times, or even a more basic question: Is God trustworthy? you are not alone. Most Christians struggle with trusting God in the midst of life’s biggest trials but we need look no further than Scripture to find help and hope in hard times. Help from Scripture The book of Isaiah contains fifteen chapters of woes and oracles filled with promised destruction, discipline, and grief. The “in that day” promises scattered throughout relate to end times and offer hope and a promise of a better future to people in crisis who wonder how to trust God in hard times.  Is God trustworthy? According to Isaiah, He’s that and so much more.  Take a look at the words of Isaiah in Chapter 25: “O Lord, I will honor and praise your name, for you are my God. You do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them; You turn mighty cities into heaps of ruins. Cities with strong walls are turned to rubble. Beautiful palaces in distant lands disappear and will never be rebuilt. Strong nations will declare your glory; ruthless nations will fear You.” Isaiah 25:1-3 NLT Cities in ruins. Walls in rubble. Palaces gone forever. Do those sound like wonderful things? Not at all, until we realize these aren’t cities, walls, or palaces of God’s people but of their enemies. When God moves in such a decisive way, Isaiah explained, even the wicked people will recognize Him at work and fear Him. Those who know God will respond by declaring His glory. Think about the situation for a moment. When cities are in ruins, everyone in the city is affected. The municipal services to which its citizens are accustomed are gone and the circumstances are hard—no matter who you are. Even people who know God can look at the destruction around them and be tempted to ask, “Is God trustworthy?” When our Strongholds Need to be Demolished “But you are a tower of refuge to the poor, O Lord, a tower of refuge to the needy in distress. You are a refuge from the storm and a shelter from the heat…You silence the roar of foreign nations…the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will spread a wonderful feast for all the people of the world. It will be a delicious banquet with clear, well-aged wine and choice meat. There he will remove the cloud of gloom, the shadow of death that hangs over the earth. He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign Lord will wipe away all tears.” Isaiah 15:4-6 NLT Isaiah 25:4-6 explains this hard truth. Despite destruction all around them, God takes note of His people and provides a place of defense and safety in the midst of their distress. He provides a refuge and shelter. As if refuge and protection in a crisis were not enough, God promises more. He will comfort us, give us joy, and bring celebration. He spreads a banquet and gives us His best. Although the verses in Isaiah 25 relate to end times, they’re equally pertinent to our lives today. Sometimes the destruction that needs to come is not to a world filled with iniquity but to the sin in our own hearts. Walls of judgment and criticism Palaces of pride and arrogance Strongholds of sin Is God trustworthy when it comes to dealing with the sin in our lives? Yes. When God moves against our sin with consequences, we call those consequences discipline. They aren’t always easy, but they’re worth it. Why? Because sin mars our relationship with God and it must be removed if we want to have the relationship He intended. How to trust God in hard times and after the discipline of God… Isaiah understood something we tend to forget about how to trust God in hard times: We trust God because of Who He is, not because of the circumstances in which we find ourselves. Consider this truth for a moment: Relationship waits on the other side of discipline. God does not offer a casual acquaintance. He wants a deep, meaningful love relationship in which His people revere and glorify Him. When the places of arrogance and idolatry, judgment and criticism, the strongholds of sin are removed from our lives and we follow Him with abandon, we’ll understand the righteousness of God in a deeper way and see Him as He truly is: A defense for the helpless and needy Refuge from the storm Shade from the heat Subduer of enemies Silencer of accusers One day, we won’t turn to the world for answers in our times of distress, but we’ll trust God in our hard times. We’ll understand God is our defense and stronghold. He is the One who stands ready to help, not the world. Does your heart soar with hope when you read these verses from Isaiah? Perhaps you’re like most of us. Despite all the good, beautiful, and excellent in our lives, there are still a few areas in which we feel helpless and in need, things we’re not proud of but can’t seem to remove, places in our lives that feel like a storm’s brewing. Maybe you have a few of those places, too. Perhaps you have more than a few. Life’s like that. If we want all God has for us, though, those sin-filled, helpless places need to be removed by the intervention of God. How to trust God in hard times: Start with surrender  Are you in a difficult place? Wondering “is God trustworthy?” and how to trust God in hard times? Begin with surrender. Kneel before God, surrender your concerns, and relinquish your plans in order to wait for His. Surrender is always the agonizing first step in hard waiting, but it’s also the step that brings the most peace. It’s the I’m-not-in-charge-but-God-is place that lifts the burden of responsibility

Does miraculous healing still happen? Does God still heal? What comes to mind when you think of healing? Does the image in your head include doctors, nurses, surgery, and medicine? What about pastors, elders, and anointing oil?  If the first image, of medical personnel, comes to mind, you’re not wrong. Doctors are frequently used by God to bring healing to those who are sick and hurting. If your image of healing includes faith workers and anointing oil, you’re not wrong, either. Does Miraculous Healing Still Happen:What Scripture says A few years ago, our pastor taught from Mark 1:29-39 about divine healing. Peter’s mother-in-law was seriously ill. Jesus arrived and Peter’s family immediately told Him about her illness. He healed her and she went straight to work, serving Him.  Pastor Noland asked, “Does God still heal?” and left a long pause for us to ponder our beliefs. We might answer his question with a “yes, but…” When the question becomes more specific, “Will God heal me?” we hesitate. We’re less certain. Does miraculous healing still happen when the need is personal? An unexpected eye problem opened my eyes to the reality of God’s healing power. In mid-December some years ago, my bathroom scales developed a problem. The light barely illuminated and the numbers were no longer visible. I changed the batteries. No better. Bought new batteries. Still no better. A vague image of the numbers was visible only if I stood on the scales until the weight was ready, hopped off, and lay on the floor. On a foggy day in early January, I realized something terrifying. The fog outside was in my left eye, too. My vision was seriously blurred.    I saw my ophthalmologist immediately. Corneal edema (or swelling) caused the blurred vision but he didn’t know what caused the edema. Was it trauma, virus, or an as-yet-unknown cause? He prescribed anti-virals and steroid drops. My eye improved.  Soon, I developed a different corneal problem in my right eye. More eye drops. The right eye problem quickly resolved, but the left eye didn’t heal as steadily. It improved with medication but, when the steroids were tapered, it worsened again and the possibility of a vision-losing problem was mentioned.  Most of my days were spent reading a book or on a computer and they still are. Eyesight is my primary tool, but the problem made work difficult. Early morning pain in my left eye worsened with light and my vision was blurred. Symptoms gradually improved as the day went on. I took breaks every 30 minutes or so to keep the blurriness at bay. Life felt slowed down, and it was. By the end of each day, I was exhausted by the struggle and I wondered…is better good enough? Does miraculous healing still happen? Does miraculous healing still happen? When medical care fails I did everything my doctors told me to do, but it didn’t work as well as I’d hoped. I began to ask, “Does miraculous healing still happen?” The answer was yes, as I knew from previous experience. According to James 5, if we, as disciples of Jesus, are sick, we should call the elders and have them pray over us. Since Scripture clearly indicates God heals through the laying on of hands, I thought He might heal me. Before I asked, though, I had to confront a serious problem of faith. Could I deal with it God said no to my request for miraculous healing? What if the vision loss didn’t resolve, but worsened instead? I pondered it, explored options for working blind, and considered the lives of two friends, both of whom are blind physicians and still actively working. God will make a way through, I realized, no matter what happens with my eyes. I prayed the prayer that never fails. “Nevertheless, not my will, but Yours be done. Even with my eyes.” Restoration of my vision was my goal, but I was willing to accept whatever God allowed. After I reached that hard place, I contacted my pastor and asked the elders to pray for my healing. The place of surrender is the perfect place to begin prayers for miraculous healing. The following Wednesday night after Bible study, Pastor Noland called the elders to the back to discuss a matter of prayer. Then, to my surprise, he called me to the back. This wasn’t what I expected to happen, but my expectations didn’t really matter. Elders and our pastor gathered around me, anointed me with oil, and prayed over me. The earth didn’t shake and I didn’t get hit with a lightning bolt of healing heat. I didn’t feel different at all.  As I drove home that night, I wondered…does miraculous healing still happen? If so, why didn’t I “feel” healed? My uncertainty was another opportunity to choose whatever God wanted and surrender again to His will. The next morning, I awakened and turned on the light. It didn’t hurt. I opened my Bible and could see the pages. The laptop screen wasn’t blurred. I could see. My vision was back to normal.    It was already improving from the treatment, but my vision took a big leap forward after the elders prayed for me, and hasn’t regressed. I continued to taper to steroid drops because that’s what must be done with steroids. My visions and my discomfort were better, but I didn’t know what my cornea looked like. As a physician, healing, in this situation, didn’t simply mean better sight. It also means a normal cornea. Or so I thought. Was I healed? I don’t have a good answer to that question. The pain and blurriness resolved and my vision returned to normal (20/20 with glasses) but the virus left a scar on my cornea. It’s miraculous healing enough for me. Does miraculous healing still happen? Why me? Do miraculous healings still happen? Yes. Why did God intervene on my behalf? God’s intervention was not because I’m such a good person, have superior faith, or because I belong to

If you wonder, “Can miracles still happen?” or “Do miracles still happen?” you’ve come to the right place. This is the second story in our series of examples of modern-day miracles. Today’s story, the Miracle in the Middle Drawer, wasn’t born of as much desperation as the $100 miracle, (first in our series) nor as showy as the miracle when my vision was restored, but it was just as welcome. In the early days of my time as a peer-to-peer funded missionary,  I rejected the idea of asking people to support my ministry and any effort at raising support for my work or my salary. I’d fund myself. Or so I thought. I began by drawing on my own resources but it didn’t take long before they were nearly depleted. No salary. No support. I didn’t know what to do so I struggled along in silence. Developed a great appreciation for beans, rice, and outdated foods at the local thrift shop. I was quick to say, “God will provide for me,” but not so quick to take Him at His word with a leap of faith. The truth was not pretty. I felt like a counterfeit missionary and the examples of modern-day miracles I heard about from other missionaries were for people a lot more holy than I was. Although I wouldn’t admit it, I didn’t believe God would provide for me. When I need a faith lesson, God often uses a crisis as a teaching tool. This time was no exception. I finally hit a tight spot I couldn’t fix. There was a little more month than money, and someone who owed me money every month was short. Again. I understood the circumstances, and I believed God called me to financial patience, so I waited but the delay made me short of funds. In order to drive to the office, I needed to buy gas but I only had $4 in cash. I didn’t want to use my debit card because the balance was low. It wasn’t $37 low but it was low and my scheduled deposit was still a couple of days away. On this particular morning, I pondered whether to work from home or ask for a miracle of gas fumes and go to the office. Finally, and with much hesitation, I decided to ask for a miracle. Can miracles still happen? I hoped so.  “Lord, if you want me to go to the office, you’ll have to give me some cash,” I prayed. The Still Small Voice answered instantly. “Look in the middle drawer.” I didn’t want to argue with God, but I already looked in the middle drawer the previous day, more than once. I’d also looked in all the other usual places I stash a few dollars, too. No money anywhere. “Which drawer is that, Lord? The middle drawer of my desk doesn’t have any money in it. I looked there yesterday.” The impression of the middle drawer was so strong that I quit arguing and went to look.  I pulled open the drawer and saw a white envelope on top of everything else. Where it had never been before. I opened it, and there was $25 in cash there. More than enough to buy gas. I laughed and thanked God for the modern-day miracle and headed to the office. Needed: Modern Day Miracles. Can you help? The money in my drawer was just one of many examples of modern-day miracles, but it confirmed for me that miracles still happen and was a huge blessing. I soon learned, however, that modern-day miracles happen all the time. Single mothers have one story after another about how God provided for their needs in miraculous ways. They, too, love this way of life. If you’re in a position of need, take heart. God has more than enough funds available to meet your needs and He’s willing to help. Your part is not to fret but to ask Him to provide. If you’re in the position to give, take a look around you. There are single moms, senior adults on fixed incomes, and missionaries all around us who are praying for a $10 or $20 miracle, and you can help. When God prompts your heart, pass along a blessing.  I’ve been the one who was flush with cash and able to give here and there. It’s the most fun you can ever have. Receiving a miraculous provision is awesome, but it’s still more blessed to give than to receive. “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” John 14:13 nasb Can miracles still happen? What’s your experience? When God gives us a miracle, we’re supposed to share it so that He can be glorified by what He’s done. What about you? Do you have your own examples of modern-day miracles? Share your story in the comments below. I’d love to hear what God has done in your life.  Photo by Ben Neale on Unsplash Want to read more? Thanks for stopping by and sharing your time with us today! If you enjoyed this content, follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest, sign up for the twice-monthly mailing list to receive exclusive stories and be notified about future blog posts. Before you leave, would you mind taking a moment to pin to Pinterest and share on social media? It helps extend my digital reach in ways I can’t do myself. Thanks again! See you soon. If you enjoyed “Can Miracles Still Happen?” and want to read about more modern-day miracles, check out these stories. Here are links to a few other posts you might enjoy: Miracles Still Happen: The $100 Miracle Does Miraculous Healing Still Happen? The Miracle I Expected to Remember but Soon Forgot When the Prayer of Desperation Becomes Through the Roof Prayer The Prodigal Puppy and the Rescuer Who Brought Her Home Here’s an in-depth, life-changing digital Bible study to help you grow in your Christian faith: (This is an Amazon affiliate