Trusting God In Difficult Times

Can you trust God when everything seems to be falling apart in your life? You are trying your best to

serve Him and yet sickness comes, your spouse divorces you, your child rebels, your dog runs away. No, I'm not making light of suffering. Some people really seem to go through some horrendous difficulties in their lives that make us wonder how that person keeps on going.

Joyce Meyer, popular evangelist, author and speaker, tells about being diagnosed with breast cancer. Fortunately, she had surgery and it was successful so she didn't have to go through chemo and radiation. Some years ago, I was diagnosed with cervical precancerous cells. My doctor advised me to have surgery, and I agreed. The strange thing about that whole situation was that I never felt a tinge of fear or worry. Looking back, I still marvel at that, because I am a worrier by nature. I remember my daughter accompanying me to the hospital and all I felt was calm. I knew God was with me.

I think that's the secret to trusting God  in difficult times - knowing that He is with you. Psalm 23: 4 says, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." 

But trusting God does not come easily. You have to build a relationship with Him and observe how He operates in your life. We all know the story of Job. He had such a strong relationship with God that when the devil approached God for permission to test Job, God said, "Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?" (Job 1: 8)

God knew that Job was capable of passing the test. And he did! When, through his suffering, Job's wife told him to curse God and die ( Job 2: 9), Job responded, "Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh . What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil" (v 10)?

We may not curse God when trouble comes, but many of us may be tempted to turn our backs on Him. We may think He has abandoned us, but nothing is further from the truth. He has promised never to leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13: 5) and He is faithful to His promises. See my blog post Footprints In The Sand

So, if you are going through difficult times and you don't know Jesus as your Savior, why not invite Him into your life today? Then build a relationship with Him through prayer, Bible reading and fellowship with other Christians, and He will take you through the valley of the shadow of death. 

The Glory Of God

Today I sat on my patio and looked out at the ducks swimming in the lake, the reflection of the trees  in the water, the sun shimmering on the water like thousands of jewels and I thought, there is the glory of God. If anyone doubts the existence of God, and there are many who do, they only have to look around them to see the glory of His presence.

There are approximately 10,000 species of birds, over 40, 000 species of fish, over 1,000,000 species of animals and over 7 billion people on planet earth. Not to mention other planets and hundreds of billions of galaxies. No one knows the exact number. Man, with all the technology at his command and with all the space exploration he has done, has only seen a fraction of the universe. Who created it all? Who makes the sun to shine everyday, the rain to fall, the seasons to change according to their designated times?

As God said to Job, "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding" (Job 38 : 4). For the next four chapters God goes on to shoot Job with questions that not even the most brilliant scientists of our times can ever answer. Until in chapter 42, Job caves in. "Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know... I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You" (v 3 - 5). 

That's how God reveals Himself to us - through His glory. Someone asked me, "Where is heaven? Astronauts have gone into outer space and they have yet to find heaven." I have no idea where heaven is, but I know how to get there. By accepting His Son Jesus Christ as my Savior, I will one day get there. And you can too. So the next time you stop to admire a bird, a pretty flower or a scenic landscape, remember the glory of God. He created all of that for us to enjoy. But He has something even more spectacular, that words cannot describe, waiting for us in heaven. Do you want to see it? Accept Jesus Christ today. Enjoy the video below as you bask in His presence.