Trusting God In Hard Times
By Steve Williams
Mitchell County
I have found out that Hard Times is a part of life. Just as the good times, happy times, and joyous times of life are part of life, so are the difficult, hard, and dark times. The life of Jesus is an example of this. He had a remarkable season of ministry, and many people were healed and restored. But the true value of His coming to earth is found in the difficult and hard times He faced, the false accusations, the cruel punishment, and the death that He endured giving us the hope and faith we have. The truth of that matter is that no one is exempt from troubles and challenges in life. Although when we are facing hard times, it may appear as if everyone else is doing just fine, this is not the case. Friends we do not know what our fellow man is facing. The Bible speaks about ‘when trouble comes’ not ‘if trouble comes’. The Bible says in Nahum 1:7 “The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.” The wonderful thing that we can know during hard times is that the Lord is with us. He has not abandoned us and He offers us Himself as a refuge while passing through the valley.
Sometimes we can look at the hardship we are facing as something we may have done wrong. Although wrong-doing has its consequences, times of difficulty are not necessarily the result. As Christians, we may believe that we have moved out of darkness and into light, when we are saved, and this is true. But the hard times of life are still something we will face. It is possible to do all the right things and still go through hard times. I am reminded of Jesus’ disciples. He sent them by boat across the sea and en route to their destination, they faced a storm. They were actually in the perfect will of God and yet faced this major challenge. This should show all of us that even amid a storm if you are in the will of God, that is the safest place to be.
Let me share with you some Good news about hard times; Hard Times Will Pass. When we go through hard times, it can feel like trouble is all we have known our entire lives. It may even feel like it will never end. I remember when my mother had a bad experience with a routine procedure. Doctors punched holes in her esophagus and lungs and she had to have many operations to try to repair the problem. Then she fell to Alzheimer’s and many other health problems. She was sick for several years before the Lord called her home. Those years felt like an eternity. But even within those hard times, there were moments of joy and delight with some precious memories. There would be times that she didn’t know who I was but I could ask her to pray for me. I would lay my head in her lap and she would place her hands on my head and whisper a prayer for me. When she would recognize who I was when I walked into her room and had a big smile on her face, that would just melt my heart. I remember the last months and days of her life it was back and forth from the hospital. Then came the time that she drew that last breath and it was bittersweet. She was gone and it hurt, but she was in Heaven and that was great because she had finished her journey. The Bible says in Psalm 50:15 “And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.”
See every hardship we encounter, every trial we have to face, and every battle that we find ourselves in, has its own Expiration Date on it. So please understand Hard Times Will Pass.
Pastor Steve Williams
Words of Wisdom:
- People need hard times and opposition to develop their spiritual relationship with Christ. N/A
- Hard times don’t create heroes. It is during the hard times when the ‘hero’ within us is revealed. N/A
- Even the securest financial plan and the finest health coverage aren’t enough to hold us steady when the challenges come… We need something more, something deeper and unshakeable, something that will see us through life’s hard times. Billy Graham
- The most important thing is that sometimes you have to go through hard times to get to the good stuff. N/A
- During hard times don’t trust your emotions. N/A
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Steve Williams is the pastor of Berry Chapel Baptist Church in Spruce Pine, North Carolina. You can read more good Christian news from Steve HERE.
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