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. 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, however, offer hope to people in the midst of hard times who wonder how to trust God in hard times.
As I read through Isaiah, I wanted a promise to hang onto, but happy promises were in short supply. Hope finally arrived in Isaiah Chapter 25. After fifteen chapters filled with God’s promises of punishment, Isaiah responded with an outpouring of praise, and for a moment I wondered why. “I will exalt Thee, I will give thanks to Thy name…” he wrote. (Isaiah 25:1) It didn’t feel much like praise to me, but Isaiah understood something I’d temporarily forgotten about how to trust God in hard times.
(Leanna paraphrase coming up:)
“I praise and thank You God because You do what you say You’ll do. You tear down our places of pride. They will never be rebuilt again, and that’s a good thing. After all Your work of discipline is done, You don’t reject us. Instead, You give us a sweet relationship.” His words echo the commitment of someone who knows how to trust God in hard times.
How to trust God in hard times and after the discipline of God…
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 are removed from our lives and we finally decide to follow Him with abandon, we’ll see God 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.
I read those verses and hope soared. Despite all the good, beautiful, and excellent in my life, there are still a few areas in which I feel helpless and in need, places in my life 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.
How to trust God in hard times: Start with surrender
How to trust God in hard times begins with surrender. Yesterday, I knelt at the altar and did what needed to be done—surrendered my concerns to the Lord and relinquished my 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 for a problem too big for us to solve.
- Surrender and peace are vital in surviving the woes and oracles of life, but hope makes a long endurance possible.
- Hope remembers the character of the God we serve. He is the defense of the weak and needy, even when we are the weak and needy ones.
He is our Father when we are fatherless. (Psalm 68:5)
He loves us at our worst and forgives us no matter what we’ve done. (1 John 1:9)
In the storms of life, God is our refuge and our strength. (Psalm 46:1)
Jesus is the answer 
How to trust God in hard times? No matter what we face today, Jesus is the answer. Our Lord is the way through. Friends, let’s surrender our struggles and cling to the One who is our Hope.
Jesus. Only Jesus.
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” —Jesus (John 14:6)
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Did you find How to Trust God in Hard Times helpful? Want to read more? Here are links to a few other posts you might find helpful: What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus? Promises of God Fulfilled The Gift of God’s Love Hope: God With Us True Beauty Begins When Pride Ends When the Last Days Come Christmas’ Best Gift: Beautiful Redemption Beginning December On Being BelovedHere’s an in-depth, life-changing digital Bible study to help you learn more about how to trust God in hard times and live the live He intended:
LEANNA THANKS FOR THE INSPIRING MESSAGE. HE IS OUR ANCHOR IN THE STORMS OF LIFE. REMAIN BLESSED.