CAN YOU TRUST GOD?
When it comes to the hurts that people experience, a best-selling book by a secular psychiatrist puts it very well with this simple opening statement: *“Life is difficult.”*
All you have to do is observe what goes on around us on a daily basis to see adversities engulfing people’s lives.
There may be the heartache of an unhappy marriage
The disappointment of a miscarried pregnancy
The grief of losing a loved one
Anxiety and Depression and emotional pain are rampant
Addiction and other Mental Health issues
Illnesses and diseases of all kinds
To name a few among many.
Sometimes, the pain is sudden, traumatic, and devastating. Other adversities are chronic, persistent, and seemingly designed to wear down our spirits over time. Personally, I have and continue to suffer from chronic pain in my body for several years.
Even when life seems to be going our way and our daily path seems pleasant and smooth, we do not know what the future holds. We do not know what tomorrow brings.
Solomon said in Proverbs 27:1 AMP that “Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring.”
So the questions naturally arise, “Where is God in all of this?” Can you really trust God when adversity strikes and fills your life with pain? Does He indeed come to the rescue of those who seek Him? Does He deliver those who call upon Him in the day of trouble? Does the Lord’s unfailing love surround the person who trusts in Him?
So, Can you trust God? The question itself has two possible meanings before we attempt to answer it.
1. Can you trust God? In other words, is He dependable in times of adversity? But the second meaning is also critical:
2. Can you trust God? Do you have such a relationship with God and such a confidence in Him that you believe He is with you in your adversity even though you do not see any evidence of His presence and His power?
God’s people are not immune from such pain. In fact it often seems as if ours are more severe, more frequent, more unexplainable, and more deeply felt than those of the unbeliever.
I sympathize with those of us who find it difficult to trust God in adversity. However, it is in the middle of adversity that our faith is tested enough for us as we trust Him, if we have a relationship with Him that allow us to remember God’s character and faithfulness.
it is just as important to trust God as it is to obey Him. When we disobey God we defy His authority and despise His holiness.
But when we fail to trust God we doubt His sovereignty and question His goodness. In both cases we cast aspersions upon His majesty and His character. God views our distrust of Him as seriously as He views our disobedience.
When the people of Israel were hungry (adversity), they spoke against God, saying, ‘Can God spread a table in the desert? … Can he supply meat for his people?’
The next two verses tell us, “When the Lord heard them, he was very angry … for they did not believe in God or trust in his deliverance” (Psalm 78:19-22).
In order to trust God, we must always view our adverse circumstances through the eyes of faith, not of sense. And just as the faith of salvation comes through hearing the message of the gospel (Romans 10:17), so the faith to trust God in adversity comes through the Word of God alone. It is only in the Scriptures that we find an adequate view of God’s involvement in our painful circumstances.
It is only from the Scriptures, applied to our hearts by the Holy Spirit, that we receive the grace to trust God in adversity.
In the middle of adversity, the Scriptures teach us three essential truths about God—truths we must believe if we are to trust Him in adversity. They are:
• God is completely sovereign. In His sovereignty, He has the power to bring about His will regarding our adversity.
• God is infinite in wisdom. In His wisdom He always knows what is best for us.
• God is perfect in love. God in His love always wills what is best for us.
Here are some encouraging promises from God’s Word:
Jesus said in John 16:33 AMP, “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world, you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.” [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding]”
Psalms 32:10 AMP “Many are the sorrows of the wicked, But he who trusts in and relies on the Lord shall be surrounded with compassion and lovingkindness.”
Modified excerpts from “Trust God Even When life hurts” by Jerry Bridges.
*NOW LET US PRAY*
Holy God, thank You for Your Word that helps us to exercise our faiths, to trust You, even in the middle of painful experiences. Holy Spirit, we need You to lead us in Your divine wisdom into Your sovereign will for us when we are faced with difficult life experiences. Help us to trust and obey You, Lord. In Jesus Christ’s most powerful name, I pray. Amen 
Have a blessed day 
