“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11
When trials and tribulations hit hard and overshadow our lives for seasons of time, it’s easy to feel as if God has forgotten us, or that He cannot see what we are going through.
Thankfully, His Word assures us that He is always with His children. God is not wishy-washy with His feelings or commitment to us. Once we truly grasp His faithfulness, we can look beyond those doubts that want to discourage us and look at why we face hardships.
The Bible has never guaranteed Christians that life will be easy and hard times will never come. The One who originally carried the gospel and shared the good news of redemption was our Lord, Jesus Christ, and His own life on earth went through tremendous trials and tribulations.
How can we refer to the same story of our Lord as being one of good news, but also of tribulation? Because we can only see one moment of time as it is happening. However, seeing the bigger picture shows us one of the greatest moments in the history of the world.
Seasons in life where everything is going wrong and we are facing problem after problem are stressful and frustrating. They can also cause us to have doubts, feel discouraged, or even fall into depression. Yet, we can find encouragement in knowing that what God has for us is never for the purpose of harming us.
As Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” When we look to our Lord with a heart that trusts His goodness, we can find comfort in knowing that He allows trials to bring us to a place of growth and learning spiritual lessons that will strengthen us.
Without impossible situations, miracles have no opportunity to happen.
Without offenses, we will never learn to forgive.
Without needs, we can’t experience God’s provision.
Without heartache, we won’t know that God is our comforter.
Experiencing miracles, forgiveness, provision, and comfort additionally move our hearts to a place of gratitude, hope, expectation, and faith, among other feelings that the Lord wants instilled in each of us.
If we could zoom out of our current troubles and look a few years ahead of where we are today, we will have testimonies of God’s goodness and provisions. We will see some who walked through certain situations in order to become leaders, encouragers, teachers, advocates, prayer warriors, preachers, better parents, better employees, better friends, and better neighbors. We will see those whose faith has grown, whose fears have decreased, whose hearts have softened, and whose faith can no longer be shaken.
Walking with Jesus is a walk of faith. Having faith in the One who created us, saved us, and wants to lead us will never lead us wrong. Trust is so important in this faith walk. It is believing that whatever we must go through, we will trust that our Savior is working on us to become more like Him. We will never go wrong when we allow Him to lead. When we realize the bigger picture is coming into view, we will understand everything else much clearer and will see the masterpiece our Lord is painting in us.
