Tag Archives: trials

3 Promises You Need to Hear During This Crisis

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picture of mom and daughter
Madison and I

Frustrations and Fears

My eight-year-old, Madison, is usually pretty good about working through her subjects for school independently. This morning, however, was a different story. This morning, Language was her undoing. It wasn’t even that hard of an assignment, but she just couldn’t get it. The frustration came first, then the tears. As soon as I saw the tears, I knew she must be tired. She doesn’t cry that often and usually not over her school.

Matt saw her struggling and asked her to come and sit on his lap. He just held her while he continued working. When she had calmed down, I directed her to the table, where I had paint cards, paints, and paintbrushes set out. We changed up the schedule and got right to painting. Soon Madison was smiling at the table and painting. It wasn’t too long before I heard her giggling. I smiled because I knew she had made it past her crisis of the morning.

With this whole coronavirus deal, I think most of us feel how Madison felt this morning… simply at the end of our rope. We feel pushed past our limits, frustrated, and fearful. If you feel that way, I have good news for you. You’re not alone! Not only do I share those same feelings with you, but Paul totally understood what it felt like to endure hardships. He gives us some encouragement for going through hard times in I Corinthians.

No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it. I Corinthians 10:13 MSG

Paul writes that God has three conditions for His testing and trials in our lives. It’s not just “anything goes.” He has three promises for us when going through a trial. Understanding these three promises help fortify us to stand strong and endure.

1. God promises there is nothing you can go through that somebody else hasn’t already been through.

Solomon says in Ecclesiastes that there is nothing new under the sun. Sometimes that’s frustrating because we want to be different. We want to feel like nobody has ever had it as bad as we have it, but that’s simply not the truth. We have to remind ourselves, somebody has already been through what I am going through.

That can give us incredible encouragement. When Satan tries to discourage you and whispers that you have it worse than anybody else, remind yourself that you don’t. If others have made it through this, then you can too.

A way to get the focus off of your problems is to focus on who you can help, even in the midst of your trial. Who else has it worse than you do right now? I promise, if you look hard enough, you can always find someone who has it worse. Focus on them. Focusing on others in the midst of your own pain is a sure way to be encouraged.

2. God promises you won’t be pushed past what you can handle.

This is so encouraging! God says He won’t let something happen to you that will absolutely crush you. Even though it may feel that way right now, this trial won’t destroy you. God has complete control of your life and circumstances, and he won’t allow that to happen. Paul, of all people, was the best person to hear this from. Paul endured many trials and hardships. If he said God won’t give you more than you can handle, he knows what he’s talking about.

So when you’re tempted to fold under the discouragement and helplessness you feel, when you want to crawl back into bed and not face the pressure and challenges of today, remember this — God has made you strong enough to get through this and whatever else is coming. God said he won’t allow you to be given more than you can handle, and you can take God at His Word. So push away those thoughts and remind yourself that you are strong in Christ.

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:13 KJV

3. God promises He will walk through this trial with you.

Finally, in the midst of this trial, remember the most important point. God has promised His presence in your trial.

For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” Hebrews 13:5 NLT

Even when it feels that God is the furthest away, know that He is with you. What about when it feels like He isn’t? That’s when faith steps in. It’s easy to forget that it takes faith to live this life. The same faith it took to put your trust in God to save you is the same faith you need to choose to believe He is still with you when you are in the midst of this trial. You have to choose to believe that He will see this through to the end of this.

Journaling Prompts

One of the best things we can do when going through a difficult season of life is to process our thoughts through journaling. I have created a journaling worksheet you can download for free HERE. This download includes a journaling worksheet and 12 verses to claim. I am a huge advocate of journaling! It helps so much to process what you are going through.

If you enjoyed this post, check out last week’s post- Can You Really Find Hope in a Crisis?

God Uses Trials to Develop Iron in our Souls

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girl walking on a mountain

photo credit: Kalen Emsley

Deserts and Prisons

We can’t always make sense of what God is doing in our lives. Sometimes, though, we can begin to see a pattern in the way God deals with people. In the Bible, God sent people to prisons and deserts. Joseph, John the Baptist, Jeremiah, and Paul all went to prison and Moses, Elijah, and David spent time in the desert. A desert and a prison have the same effect– you are cut off from everything you know, the comforts you are used to, and thrown into an entirely new set of circumstances, totally dependent on God.

It’s in the prisons and deserts of life that we learn an entirely new way of depending on God. It’s the place where God begins to show us more of Himself. It was in the desert that God called Moses from the burning bush to return to Egypt and free the Israelites. God revealed the next stage of Elijah’s ministry to him during his time in the desert. When Jeremiah was imprisoned, God spoke to him and gave him the amazing words we comfort ourselves with still today.

 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. Jeremiah 33:3

Job’s Story

We see another example of this in the book of Job. While Job’s story doesn’t take him to a literal prison, his circumstances were similar. God took away everything from Job and left him destitute. Job gets to know God in an entirely new way. Job no longer knew about God, he knew God personally. At the end of his trial, Job had this to say.

I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Job 42:5

Captivity

There’s an interesting verse at the end of the book of Job that captured my attention recently.

And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. Job 42:10

I think it is so interesting that God calls Job’s testing captivity. It gives us a glimpse into the way God deals with us in trials and testings. The word captivity we can understand. It’s the idea of being a prisoner. God allowed Job to be a prisoner during his time of testing. The time of testing came to an end, and God restored Job’s wealth to him and gave him more children.

What brought about the end of Job’s testing? What happened to Job that God said, “Ok, that’s enough. You passed the test.”?

Iron in Our Soul

I’m not completely sure but I think David may give us a glimpse of it in the Psalms. There’s a really interesting verse in Psalm 105 that talks about Joseph’s time of testing.

He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant:

Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron:

Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him. Psalm 105:17-19

The phrase he was laid in iron literally means “his soul came into iron.” He developed iron in his soul. Joseph was not the same person when God finished testing him. What does it mean to have iron in your soul? It carries the idea of spiritual “toughening up.” God knows that we can’t stay the way we are and hope to serve Him faithfully for a lifetime. Life is just too hard. So He sends us into captivity, times of testing to toughen us up, so we will stay faithful in the long run.

Times of Iron Strengthening

I know in my life personally, Matt and I are not the same people we were when we started our church seven years ago. God has used these years of testing to toughen us up, not to have a hard heart but a tough skin. Matt often says that we need to keep a tender heart but grow a thick skin. The ministry is tough. People can be cruel. God does things we don’t understand. If we want to get through all that, we have to keep a tender heart to the Lord but toughen up a little bit. We can’t let hurtful comments, bad days, and heartbreak keep us from what we know the Lord called us to do.

I don’t know what you are going through, but I know that God allows times in our lives when we are held captive and tested beyond what we think we can manage so that He can put iron in our souls.

A Heart of Iron

Two dear friends of mine are in such a time right now. They both have cancer and are clinging to God during this time. They are totally dependent on God as their worlds have come crashing down. As I pray for them and hurt for them, I am watching the iron process taking place. Somehow they are stronger than they were when they started; they have more faith and grace than what they started with. I am watching as God takes them through this process and is refining them and changing them.

I wonder if that’s what Pharoah saw in Joseph when Joseph stood before him in the palace. He saw a man fresh from prison, but he saw in this young man a heart of iron.

My challenge to you and to myself is to not give up and throw in the towel. God is at work refining us. It’s in this refining process that we get to know Him in an entirely new way. It’s in these difficult times of testing that God is developing iron in our soul so that we can stay faithful for a lifetime.

 

Handling Trials

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Always Carrying Everyone Else

Are you the kind of person that’s always carrying everybody else? Do you encourage people when they are down, help others as much as you can, and stay strong for your friends and family?

Often, those of us who help everybody else don’t handle our own trials well. In the book of Job, we read about all that happens to Job in a short amount of time. He loses everything in one day, and his friends come to comfort him. Job’s friend Eliphaz speaks candidly with him in Job 4.

Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands.

Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees.

But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.          Job 4:3-5

Eliphaz says, “Job, I get it. You’ve always been the strong one. You’ve taught so many people, you’ve encouraged others, you’ve helped the elderly, you have always had a kind word for people who are having a hard time. But now, it’s your turn. You’re the one in the trial. Job, you’re the one who is in trouble now, and you’re not handling the pressure very well. You’re fainting; you’re failing.”

The Tables Have Turned

I read these verses in my morning time and stopped to think about them for a few minutes. I thought about how those words could have been said about me. These words are so harsh, but for how many of us, do they ring true?

We have taught God’s Word to others, we have encouraged those around us, we have stood by friends as they have faced tragedy and heartache, we have been the one to write the notes of encouragement to others. We have always been the strong one leading and encouraging those around us. But now, the tables have turned. Now it’s our turn to face hardships.

It’s so easy to be strong for other people, but when your own set of burdens and hardships push you down and the weight feels like more than you can bear, what do you do?

How Do We Handle Trials?

1. Get serious about your morning time. Spend time praying, reading your Bible, and journaling. The time you spend with God in the morning will be your sustaining grace and strength to get through. Often when we are going through a hard time, we start to pull away from God. Usually, it’s because we’re hurt and upset with Him, but now is when you need Him the most. Tell Him honestly how you feel, how you’re hurt, how you feel betrayed. Cling to Him. Satan wants to use this time of trial and testing to make you doubt God, question His goodness, and pull away from Him. Then he can move in and destroy you. Times of trial and testing are when we need to pull closest to God; it’s when we are the weakest and most open to attack. If you want some inspiration for morning time, you can read my post here for tips for an effective morning time.

2. Don’t go at it alone. You can’t make it on your own. Find a good support system. Your spouse, family, friends, or small group. Tell others what is going on in your life. Find those you trust, who can keep it confidential if you need them to. Let them carry your burdens with you. Keep them updated on how they can pray specifically for you. Let them know how they can tangibly help. Your friends want to help during times of hardship, but sometimes they just don’t know what to do.

3. Read books that encourage and strengthen your faith. Here are a few good ones, if you need some ideas.

  1. Uninvited by Lisa TerKeurst
  2. The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson
  3. The Hardest Peace by Kara Tippets
  4. Get Out of That Pit by Beth Moore
  5. Daring to Hope by Katie Davis Major

Ultimately, remember that God loves you and is working out the details of your life for His purpose. Choose to see His goodness. Choose to trust that everything is working together for His glory and my good.

 

photo credit: Alexandru Tudorache

 

4 Ways to Encourage Yourself in the Lord

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There comes a time in every Christian’s life when you must learn to encourage yourself in the Lord. There is only so much help you can get from listening to preaching, reading an inspiring book, or listening to an uplifting song. Eventually, a time will come in your life when you are going to need something more. You are going to need God Himself to encourage you. It is a time when the trial is so great, the pain so intense, that your hope is gone. This is exactly where we find David in I Samuel 30.

David’s Hopeless Situation

For a time, David and his men and their families lived in the city of Ziklag. David and his men left to go help fight in a battle. They ended up not being needed in the war, so they returned home. Upon their arrival, they are met with an awful scene. The fierce Amalekites have invaded Ziklag, taken all the women and children captive, and burned the city with fire.

So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.

Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.

And David’s two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. I Samuel 30:3-6

David’s Encouragement

The men with him were in such shock and grief that they spoke of stoning David, their beloved leader. David is in an awful place. He is grieving for his own loss, and now he must face his men who are angry with him and want to kill him.

David did the only thing he knew to do, he turned to God. This was his habit, his go-to in bad situations. In the midst of loss and fear, David took time to give himself courage by spending time with  God.

How do you encourage yourself in the Lord? Matt and I have this outstanding joke that when the Bible talks about encouraging yourself in the Lord, it refers to having Mexican food. We are pretty sure that when David encouraged himself in the Lord, he went and ate Mexican food– some fajitas with chips and salsa and guac. Maybe not, but I have found a few things that have worked for me over the years.

4 Ways to Encourage Yourself in the Lord

  1. First I pray. I talk to God about everything that is on my mind– my burdens, hurts, frustrations, and pressures. I talk to Him honestly and openly about my problems and ask for His help.
  2. Next, I read my Bible and journal. If I need encouragement, I turn to Psalms or the Gospels. I spend time reading God’s words and just let Him speak to me. I have a journal that I use every day for my morning time with God, and I use that to write down what encourages me.
  3. Then I release write. For this, I use a different journal. I have a journal specifically for release writing. In it, I write out my frustration, exasperation, hurt, pain, whatever it is. I write it all down and get it out of my head. I find this helps me to be able to process what I am dealing with instead of just letting it roll around in my head, paralyzing me from moving forward.
  4. Lastly, I do something that encourages my spirit. I might go for a quiet walk, read an uplifting book, or listen to an encouraging podcast or good music.

These steps don’t fix the situation, but they give me the encouragement I need to keep moving forward. What about you? How do you encourage yourself in the Lord?

 

 

When You Can’t See God Working in Your Life

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When You Can’t See God

Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him:

On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him: (Job 23:8-9)

These verses written by Job thousands of years ago, accurately describe many people’s lives today. Have you ever felt like Job– that no matter which way you turn, you can’t see God working in your life? I have. Sometimes life gets so complicated. We try our best to do all the “right” things. We go to church, we read our Bible, we love our family and care for them, we are kind to others… we do everything we are supposed to do. Yet, we don’t feel His presence, we can’t see Him working in our life, and we sense that His hand of blessing and favor is not on us.

What do you do when you hit a dry spell like this?

God Sees Me

Job was facing deep discouragement when he wrote these verses. He had just lost all of his wealth and possessions and his children. During this time of tragedy, he looked for God but couldn’t find Him anywhere. He knew God’s hand of blessing had been taken off his life, but he didn’t know why. Job questions God’s presence during this difficult time, but he moves on rather quickly in the next verse.

But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. (Job 23:10)

During this season of life when he couldn’t see God, Job chose to believe that God was still actively involved in His life. He trusted that God was watching over him and taking notice of what Job was doing.

It is during times of discouragement and uncertainty that I have to choose to believe that God is actively present and watching over me. Questioning God during this time doesn’t help. I have to trust that He sees me, even though I may not be able to see Him right now.

lady walking on path

Photo credit: Geran de Klerk

 

Questioning God Doesn’t Help

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Questioning God sounds so horribly wrong, yet most of us do it the moment a trial comes into our life or things don’t go as we had planned.

I have been reading the book of Job as a part of my morning time. Job has so many amazing hidden gems in it. If you have been around church for any length of time, you are probably familiar with the story of Job. Job’s ten children died on the same day that he lost all his livestock and servants. Soon after that, Job lost his health. Job went from being incredibly wealthy and a well-known man of means, to a nobody who lost everything.

Where Is God?

Job 23 finds Job in the midst of his suffering. He is desperately trying to understand what is going on in his life and where God is during this time.

Oh that I knew where I might find him (God)! that I might come even to his seat! (verse 3)

I would order my cause before him, and fill my mouth with arguments. (verse 4)

I would know the words which he would answer me, and understand what he would say unto me. (verse 5)

As you read these words, can you feel Job’s desperation? His greatest desire in the midst of his  trial is to find God. He wants to argue his case before God. He wants to ask the questions that we all desire to ask of God when we are in a trial. Why God? Why me? What have I done wrong? Where are You? Do you see my pain? Do you care?

Will God Answer?

Job wants to ask God these questions; then He wants to hear God’s answers. What would God say? Job wants to know and be able to understand God’s answers. The next few words out of Job’s mouth give a really good picture of the wisdom that Job has. Job says in the first part of verse 6:

Will he plead against me with his great power? No… (verse 6)

The word plead here means “to grapple, to contend, to debate.” Job ponders– “If I was able to plead my case directly with God Himself and ask Him all my questions, would He debate with me?” Don’t miss Job’s answer. He answers for God– no. Deep in his heart, Job knows that even if he had a chance to talk to God about his pain and hurt that God would not use His great power to force Job to see things God’s way.

God Doesn’t Give an Explanation

Job recognized that God doesn’t owe us an explanation. Even if He did give us an explanation, our finite minds couldn’t even understand it. God is not going to fight with us to prove His point or debate with us. That is not how our loving Heavenly Father works.

Notice the next few words from Job:

Will he plead against me with his great power? No; but he would put strength in me. (verse 6)

Job understood that God was not going to debate with him to answer his questions. Instead, Job understood that God would simply fill him with strength to endure his trial.

We Won’t Get the Answers Now

As much as we want answers, I don’t know that it would change anything. I don’t even know if I would want to know. It could be painful. What if God told me right now why our church plant won’t take off– would I want to know? If God were to tell my mom why she has had a debilitating disease most of her life– would it make it any easier? If God told my dear friend why her precious grandson got cancer and passed away just weeks before his 20th birthday– would the pain be any easier to bear?

As much as we want answers, even demand them, God knows we probably couldn’t handle them. So until we get to Heaven, God just gives us the strength to handle what comes our way.

As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him. It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect. (Psalm 18:30, 32)

 

person walking on rocks

Photo credit: Jordan Whitt