Not one person lives their life without experiencing hard things. There are things in this life that cause you to want to cower and hide, but unfortunately you can’t ignore them, so you pull up your boot straps and do your best.
God knew that life on this side of heaven will be toilsome; read Genesis 3:17-19. God also understands that His creation was never made to live independently from Him. While nature obeys God, people do not. We like to do our own thing and do it our own way. Read the entire chapter of Genesis 3 to see why.
Despite sin and rebellion, God has never left man’s side. He has ALWAYS walked with every person born so that they can come to know Him in a personal way. We all have a purpose, and this purpose is to find our way back to Him. We are lost due to sin. We are separated away from God, and in His love He helps us find Jesus. He does this by allowing us to realize by the hard things we experience that we need Him.
Your heart, soul, and mind need God. When you seek Him, He is happy to oblige. You learn just how willing God steps in to help you. He is faithful to do so, read Hebrews 10:23, 1 Corinthians 10:13, Psalms 36:5, and Deuteronomy 7:9.
“Many Christians struggle to trust in God’s faithfulness during difficult times. Understanding that God is unchanging and ever-present is essential to growing your faith. Through every trial and season of life, we can stand firm on His Word, knowing that He is (the) faithful companion every step of the way.” (biblestudyforyou.com)
Think about Daniel from the Old Testament. He faced hard things. He lived in exile in a pagan culture. While facing temptations to forgo his faith, he remained faithful to God. He lived in the world but did not become like the world. This is something we all need to learn.
Daniel stood firm in his walk with his God. He trusted God more than man. You see this in Daniel 6 when his abiding faith in his God could have costed him his life. God delivered him out of the mouths of lions. His faith was such that God revealed the future to him through visions; read Daniel 7-10. Daniel trusted God and God could trust Daniel. In these chapters, notice how God personally tended to him. He does this for you too.
What are you facing that God wants to use your hard times to teach you about Himself, or is God wanting to grow you, mature you, taking you deeper in the relationship you already have with His Son?
Whatever you face, God is with you. He wants you to NOT pull up your boot straps and do your best. What He does want from you is a surrendered heart that lets Him work in you. He wants you to know who He is personally. You learn this by reading God’s Word. You cannot successfully walk like Jesus, Daniel, Paul, or David, to name a few, without a surrendered heart that is focused on God and His Word.
What would change in your life if you faced hard things with God at the helm? What would you experience? You won’t know unless you follow God’s plan for redemption. Paul shares this plan to the elders of the early church in Acts 20:21, “I have had one message, the necessity of repenting from sin and turning to God, and of having faith in our Lord Jesus.”
You can face hard things when Jesus is directing every one of your steps. He leads, you follow. It is amazing when you realize that God will see you through whatever it is you are facing. Give Him the glory and see what He will do!
Carol J German 