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“Trusting God During
Difficult Times”
By Susanne Scheppmann
“For
the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues
through all generations.” Psalms 100:5
(NIV)
Devotion:
Horrified, I placed the phone back in its
charger. My mind reeled. What could I say to one of my dearest friends
after this new tragedy had struck?
First, she experienced the loss of a fourteen-year-old son to brain cancer. Now her eldest son, only eighteen, had been
discovered mugged and murdered.
Incomprehensible.
She asked, “Why?” I have no answer other than,
“I don’t know, but I cling to the factual knowledge that God is good,
regardless. Tragedies in this life are beyond our understanding this side of
heaven.”
However, I believe Jesus is good and that
knowledge sings from the depths of my soul. This nugget of truth is more
precious than life itself to me. We have been taught and recognize that faith
is not something we can necessarily see, hear, feel, taste, or touch. It is
stepping out of our comfort zones and trusting God—regardless of how we feel
emotionally. The Bible explains, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for
and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews
11:1 NIV).
The
true story of Horatio G. Spafford demonstrates this type of faith in God’s
goodness. Spafford wrote the familiar
hymn, “It is Well with My Soul” in 1872 after his four daughters drowned soon
after his own financial bankruptcy. He, somehow, held onto the fact that
despite the outward circumstances, God was good. He wrote, “And Lord, haste the
day when my faith shall be sight.” He knew that his faith was not in vain, and
that someday he would see the meaning and purpose of all the tragedy
surrounding his life at that moment.
For
myself I think my greatest lesson of faith has been in the acknowledgement that
God is good—all the time. Oswald
Chambers wrote, “Faith by its very nature must be tested and tried. And the
real trial of faith is not that we find it difficult to trust God, but that
God’s character must be proven trustworthy in our own minds.”
There will always be moments of uncertainty. I
find comfort in the words written by David Jeremiah in My Heart’s Desire.
You may sometimes feel
awkward and uncomfortable, and find yourself say, “Is this really true? I don’t
see anything in it. I don’t hear
God’s voice. I don’t feel His presence.” There are days like that for all of
us. The pursuit of God has no shortcuts. You simply must keep walking, keep
seeking, and keep yearning. Keep at it, and you won’t be disappointed.
God is
good, even as I mourn with my friend. I
have witnessed her grief, anger, and doubt.
But throughout the passing months, I have watched her cling to Jesus
with hands wet with tears. My friend
believes God is good all the time even when she can’t feel it with her
emotions. Her faith rests in the fact, “The LORD is good and his love endures
forever.”
Prayer:
Dear Lord, grant me the faith to know that You are
good all the time even during the most difficult circumstance of this life.
When I am weak, lift me up. Enable me to
accept the love and comfort from others who love me, but let me rely on your
everlasting love for me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Application
steps:
Memorize
one of the Power Verses below to repeat and remind yourself of God’s goodness
during difficult times in your life.
Reflections:
What situations in my life do I
feel are out of my faith-comfort zone?
Do I believe that God is good all
the time?
Power
verses:
Psalms 91:2, “I will say of the LORD,
"He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”(NIV)
Deuteronomy 31:8, “The LORD himself goes
before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do
not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (NIV)
Psalms 27:5, “For in the day of
trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of
his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.” (NIV)
© 2009 by Susanne Scheppmann. All rights reserved.
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