God is actively working behind-the-scenes for you right now to meet your needs in ways that you don’t see. You don’t have the answers; God does. You don’t know the next move; God does. You can’t see how it will work out; God does. Everything you really need will really be supplied. Not maybe. Not probably. Definitely. God will provide for every need. Not some of them. Not most of them. All of them, without exception. Right when you need it, not a second too late. If you don’t have it now, it’s because you don’t need it now. God met our greatest need by sending Jesus to live, die and rise for us so we can be forgiven for and freed from our sin; surely, He will also meet our lesser ones! What rest and relief and rejoicing there is when you do the work that God has said is for you to do, and believe that He is doing the work that is not for you to do.
Jesus Walks With Us When We Suffer
The people in your life need to see you suffer well, handling hardships with hope because you have Jesus in your life. We shouldn’t try to make-believe our problems aren’t there as if Christians are immune to the brokenness around us, nor make-a-big-production of our problems as if Jesus isn’t there to sustain us. Griping over the trials of life isn’t the solution, but neither is glossing over them. When bad things happen, it is an opportunity to speak honestly about our struggles while showcasing the good things that are ours because of Jesus in spite of those struggles: hope, joy, peace, endurance, strength, courage, guidance, security. It’s only whining if we leave worshipping Jesus out of it. It’s only complaining if we leave celebrating His grace out of it. It’s only pouting if we leave pointing people to His sufficiency out of it. Others need to see and hear our joy-filled, hope-filled, peace-filled confidence in this: He will get us through every test, trial and tribulation until He gets us home. As we walk through seasons of suffering, let us testify to the faithfulness of Jesus in walking with us so others can know, that because grace is available in their own struggles, they never have to walk alone either.
He Will Finish What He Started
In a world of seemingly endless uncertainties, there is something that we can be absolutely sure of: God will finish what He started in us. There is zero chance He will fail. God has begun a good work in us, and He will work all things together for good to ensure its completion. We will keep going. We will endure. We will make it to the finish line where our faith will become sight in the presence of God. Not because of anything we can do apart from God, but because Jesus is a part of us, enabling us by His grace to persevere to the end. He is both the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), and He is faithful even when we are not. We are on our way and until we get there, even when our days include struggles and our walk include stumbles, let us press on in joyful confidence that getting to our heavenly home does not depend upon us but on God at work in us and for us. Yes, we work hard by His grace to follow Him closely in loving obedience, but He alone will ensure that we are able to do so every step of the way. Rejoice as you hold on until the end-before-the-beginning, knowing that God is holding on to you. On this, eternal security firmly rests for those who are trusting in Jesus: He will finish what He started.
Trusting That God Knows What He’s Doing
Why are some things hard? Why are some things easy? Why are some things ongoing? Why are some things abrupt? Why are some things present? Why are some things absent? Because God knows best what to allow into our lives, how intensely they should be experienced, and how long they should remain. It’s not always easy to see the “why” behind the “what” that God allows into our lives. But the longer we walk with Jesus, the more we recognize that our Heavenly Father uses all the things He allows into our lives to build us up in our faith and bless us in ways we never would experience if we followed our own plan. Looking back, we see that in those moments we didn’t think God was working, His fingerprints were on every irregularly shaped piece of the puzzle, fitting them together to form us into the image of His Son. God doesn’t expect us to know what He’s doing; He just expects us to trust that He does.
God Will Get You Through The Day
The more confident we are in God’s love, mercy, and faithfulness, the more we will turn to Him for help instead of looking elsewhere for it. And we will find that help, for His mercies are always lovingly and faithfully delivered anew each morning. New because each day has new needs. New because today’s needs are different than those from yesterday. New because we are never to enter any day thinking we don’t need God. New because they testify of God’s steadfast love and great faithfulness day after day. New because our daily walk is to be one of faith. New because their day-by-day presence re-centers and re-stirs our hearts to grateful worship. Whatever happens today, we can be assured that God’s custom-tailored, need-meeting, heart-stirring, joy-producing, Jesus-glorifying mercies will be there to save the day. That doesn’t mean it will always be without problems, pain and pandemonium. Sometimes you’ll arrive at the end of the day a little broken and beaten up. But what will help get you through the day is remembering that God will get you through the day!
There Is A Good Reason For Your Suffering
We are tempted to wonder why “bad things happen to good people” and why “good things happen to bad people,” but the gospel does not operate on the basis of merits and demerits for producing “deserved” circumstances in the lives of God’s people. Oftentimes evil and agony are permitted, such as in the crucifixion of Jesus, because God’s gracious and glorious and good purposes are served. He does not always give us a reason for the long and difficult road of suffering, but He will always give us His loving care and go with us so we do not travel it alone. God has a good reason for and a good result from the suffering in our lives. In the end, the suffering of this world is not worth comparing to the glory of the one to come.
With Faith All Things Are Made Possible
There is often a tension between belief and doubt when things become difficult. The mountain seems too high. The path seems too rough. The situation seems too overwhelming. The outlook seems too bleak. The task seems too great. What we need to remember is this: if we believe in a small God, our problems will always seem big. If we believe in a big God, our problems will always seem small. It would be plausible to lose hope and lose heart when facing things that are too much for us to handle if we were forced to handle them alone. But Jesus has promised to never leave us alone, always supplying the grace we need for the needs we face. The more we trust in Him, the more we will rely on Him to take the next steps into the unexpected, uncertain and unpleasant difficulties of this broken world. He will work it out for good as we work out His purposes for us. With faith all things are not made easy. With faith all things are made possible.
Your Story With Jesus Has Just Begun
Suffering will be a part of your earthly experience, but so will God’s sustaining grace in greater measure. You will never walk through the valleys alone, for Jesus, the suffering servant, is always with you. While things will often not turn out the way that you hoped for, God is actively working things out in your life for good and will graciously provide everything you need until you have no more needs. Be assured of this: there may be many unexpected and unpleasant plot twists, but God has written a beautiful story for you. And your story has just begun. It will unfold forever with Him in heaven where every chapter is better than the one before.
God Puts Us On The Right Path
While delays, detours and dead-ends can bring about disappointment and frustration, they may be God’s way of blocking us from something He doesn’t mean for us to do or have. What we need to realize is this: when God says “No” to our plans, He is saying “Yes” to something that is far better for us and others who are involved. Many costly mistakes are avoided and many wonderful blessings are gained when He steps in to order our steps. When God graciously reroutes our lives, it is always to put us on the right path.
If We Knew All That God Knows
For those who are trusting in Jesus, God is always doing much more in us, for us, around us, and through us than we are aware of. All we see is the show, but He is working behind the scenes. All we see is the ship, but He is working beneath the surface. He is precise. He is punctual. He is providential. There is nothing that happens unless it serves His purposes. We don’t have to make sense out of everything that is going on or that we are going through; but we do need to trust that God is tirelessly at work in ways that would make sense if we knew all that He knows.
Removing Things In The Way Of Our Happiness
When we attempt to live as sovereigns over our own little kingdoms, striving to fill them up with all the things we think will make us happy, we will discover that real happiness is elusive, and lasting happiness is impossible. Why? Because frustration and futility are hard-wired into every attempt by God’s people to find soul-satisfaction in something other than Him. He alone knows best how to give us fulfilling lives (far better than anything we can find elsewhere), and when we prioritize pursuing Him, His ways, His kingdom and His plans, He will give us all that is necessary for our full and lasting happiness in Jesus and will remove the things that are in the way of it.
