Trusting God Despite Trials

Today we are so fortunate to have a guest blogger at Only By Prayer. Brittany Jean is a nineteen-year-old college student living in the Midwest with her parents and younger brother. She is currently majoring in pre-law and is planning on using that degree for ministry.

Being confident in this, that He who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6

Sometimes it’s easy to get down and not understand why God put us on this planet. Sometimes, when everything seems to be falling apart, it’s hard to see what purpose God could possibly have for our lives and what good He could bring out of our simple situations.

While I don’t have the answers, and I don’t know why God allows some events to happen, or our lives to sometimes get completely out of our control, I do know one comforting fact. God is walking beside us, and He is constantly working in us until He brings us home.

A mistake that I personally can make is that when something difficult occurs, I blame myself and beat myself up about it. However, if I truly believed that God is working in me to bring about His glory and is making a “good work” in me, I would be able to forgive myself and realize that God has an ultimate purpose in my life.

For example, sometimes very godly people will lose their jobs, and while they trust God, they can begin to look back and start with the “if onlys.” “If only I hadn’t been as bold in my witness at work.” “If only I had put more personal time into my job.” “If only I had worked harder,” and the list can go on and on.  The fact is, we can’t go back and change our circumstances and situations. We need to trust that God knows what He’s doing and has a purpose for bringing us through the trials He has allowed in our lives.

When life seems difficult and hard to understand, we need to remember Philippians 1:6 and realize that, if we allow Him to, God is always walking beside us and is using the situations we go through for His ultimate glory. Instead of walking around in fear about what has or might happen, we can walk in confidence and allow God to use our hurt and hardships for His ultimate good–and ours.

Pray on!