This is the final part of my 4-part series on strengthening your faith. You can find links to the other parts of the series at the end of this post.
I want to spend a little more time on that third level of faith which says if God doesn’t fix my problems, I believe He knows what He is doing. In Part 3, I said when God doesn’t bring us out of our situations, we should continue to trust, worship, and serve Him. Trusting God in the midst of difficult times is easier said than done, so here are some things we can remember to help us do this:
- Despite whatever God allows, He always loves us. Even if God chooses not to fix all our earthly problems, He took care of our most serious problem, our sins, and gave us eternal life through Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection. He did this because of His great love for us. First John 4:9 tells us, “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.”
- God will sustain us through our challenging circumstances. When the apostle Paul had a thorn in his flesh, he asked God to remove it. God chose not to take Paul’s thorn away, but instead told Paul He would give him the strength to endure. Second Corinthians 12:9 states, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” If God decides not to take away our troubles, He will do as He did with Paul and give us the strength to handle them.
- God will not always do things the way we think He should. If we are honest, we will admit that sometimes we don’t like what God allows to happen to us. But since God is wiser than we are, we should trust that His ways are always better than ours. Isaiah 55:8-9 tell us, “’For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’”
- In spite of how things look, God always wants the best for us. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'” God is working in and through all our troubles to make us the best we can be for Him. We have to trust His process!
What scriptures do you rely on to help you deal with challenges in your life? Tell me in the comments.
Links to the other parts of this series:
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