THIS Hard Thing In My Life Is For My Good?
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise—
in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?
Psalm 56:3-4 NIV
We were greeted by the cats in the yard as we walked toward her home. Once we pet the kitties we went into the house, grabbed something to drink, and sat down in the living room.
Promptly at 7:02 our small group of women were seated and ready for the final week of our book study. For the past several weeks we’ve had some interesting conversations about trusting God.
Did He write this awful event into our life or allow it? Why did He make it so we had to suffer so much? How can we look at our situation in a way that grows us and refines us instead of making us bitter?
To be honest, we didn’t figure it all out.
We still wonder WHY. We still don’t know how it all works. BUT… It was good to share our hearts and our struggles, look at scripture and apply it to our situations, and remind ourselves how vast God’s love is for us.
It was encouraging to remember together how God used situations in our lives for our good and for His glory. We loved our discussions, laughter, and getting to know one another.
Our biggest takeaway – we can trust The God…
- who is sovereign,
- who created us,
- who knows what we need, and
- who is in complete control over all things, giving us exactly what we need.
We will have trouble.
Scripture says, “Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward.” Job 5:7 NIV
“When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other.” Ecclesiastes 7:14a NIV
God never says He will explain His ways or show us why He gives us our challenges.
In all our good times AND our trouble, we have a choice – to trust God or not.
During our study, we learned a few things about trust.
1) God is absolutely trustworthy.
If we are going to trust IN God, we need to first know that HE is trustworthy.
We start with the reliability of the Bible. There are thousands of manuscripts (more than any other book) that are virtually unaltered from the earliest writings. There is and continues to be archaeological evidence that affirms the divine authorship and the people and places in the Bible. The Bible records over 1,800 prophecies from the Old and New Testaments that could not be known – statistically mind-blowing. The Bible is a collection of so many different books, authors, and times in history, yet it is unified and consistent throughout.
Because of the evidence and tactical proof, we can believe the Bible and what’s written in it. Within scripture, we see story after story of the trustworthiness of God.
Once we know of the One we put our trust IN is trustworthy, we can focus on the skill of trusting.
2) Trusting is a skill.
We are responsible to learn to trust Him in times of goodness and in times of adversity.
We are responsible but we are also dependent upon the Holy Spirit to enable us to do this.
When we are connected to the vine, the fruit of the spirit is produced. The Holy Spirit helps God’s Word come alive in us.
We choose and we depend. Doing this creates faith. Faith takes practice.
Hmmm, maybe this is why adversity is “good.” So we can practice our faith.
3) Trusting is not a passive activity.
As we wrestle with our thoughts, you and I, as David said in Psalm 13:5-6, can come to the place, even in our adversities, where we can say, “I trust in Your unfailing love.”
In trusting Him, He tells us to “cast our cares upon him.“
“To cast” (not lay) is not a passive activity. It requires effort. Vigorous effort. We choose to cast our cares at His feet and hold on to the promises of God, cling to them, despite the adversity that at times seeks to overwhelm us.
4) We show we trust by giving thanks.
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV
If we say that God is at work when good things happen to us and when things fall into place in our lives, we also need to realize (and even give Him credit) that God is at work when bad things happen to us and things fall out of place in our lives.
When we realize the truth in this, we can actually thank Him in all things at all times.
It was all in my attitude.
I can question God about what happens in my life. But, when I do it with irreverence, I experience spiritual debilitation. I suffer. My relationship with the Lord suffers.
I was convicted of my irreverence in this area. My result was a spiritual experience that was cynical and stagnant.
During this book study, I decided that instead of me being offended and questioning the suffering in my life and others’ lives, I chose to be comforted by the fact that God…
- In His love, always wants what’s best for us,
- In His wisdom, always knows what’s best for us,
- In His sovereignty, has the POWER to bring it about.
He says, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5b NIV
God is trustworthy.
God is sovereign.
God is infinitely wise.
God has absolute rule over all His creation.
So the answer after our weeks of study was…
YES, because HE is trustworthy, I can trust Him, thank Him, and cast my cares upon Him, in the good and the bad, the easy and the hard.
YES, I can trust that God is doing this for my good.
In Your Life
Are you going through something hard and questioning how it could possibly be “for your good?” Have you struggled to trust that God is in complete authorship of it?
What would it take for you to choose trust, to cast your anxiety on Him, and thank Him for his presence with you right now?
I find it useful to look away from my problem and towards His character. I direct my mind to remember his LOVE for me… enough love that He sent His son to die for ME. He cares. He is walking through it with you.
In His Word
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV
We Recommend
If you are looking for a thoughtful book that will help you dig deep into scripture, I recommend Trusting God by Jerry Bridges.
I also recommend reading this post from Phylicia Masonheimer entitled Where is God in the Grief and Evil.
Let’s Connect
I help women simplify and organize their homes and life using a unique approach. If getting organized is on your list of things to do, join me in Organized Life Academy or private 1:1 coaching. Find more information on my website here and connect with me on Instagram here.