Do you trust God? Do you trust Him for your salvation? Do you trust that He will bring you to heaven?
I sure hope so, because, for the child of God, those who have repented, believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and have put their faith (trust) in Him, those are sure things.
Day to day, though, do you trust Him during good times and bad? Do you trust Him in your trials?
Trials are God’s strength-training courses. We get the opportunity to exercise our trust. Trials make us stronger. (But, of course, pray about what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t be passive.)
Here’s how to trust during trials
Remember: Look Back
- You are God’s child, declared righteous, raised up with Christ, and seated with God in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:6)
- He loves you with an everlasting love. Nothing, absolutely nothing, can take you out of His love. He loves you so much that He gave His Son to die for you that you might live with Him in heaven forever. (Romans 8:38-39)
- Your loving Father is sovereign over everything and everybody all the time. There are no exceptions. Nothing happens without God’s action or permission. Whatever touches you—good, bad, evil—is controlled by Him. (See, just for example, Ephesians 1:11 and Psalm 115:3)
Consider: His presence in the present
- While He sometimes allows bad things to happen to His children, He promises to bring good out of it. He promises to make you into the image of His Son. (Romans 8:28-29)
Look ahead: His future promises will not fail
- Trials benefit you. Paul says suffering produces endurance, then character, then hope (Romans 5:3-4). James says trials produce steadfastness, so that we may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:3-4). Peter says trials test the genuineness of our faith, resulting in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:7).
- One day Christ will present you to the Father holy and blameless! (Ephesians 1:4, Colossians 1:22)
When you are in the midst of a trial
When you are in the midst of a trial, you, of course, need to ask the Lord what He wants you to do. Perhaps there is a solution for your problem. Perhaps you need to ask for help. But, perhaps, you need to endure.
In any case, determine to remember the five points. If you practice during the “easy” trials, it will be easier to fall into His arms when life is really tough.
We are not alone in bad times—or good times.
Practice. Exercise your “trust” muscles.
