Trusting God when life becomes difficult

Sometimes life can be difficult and if we did not realize this at first, I'm sure we know it now. I have personally noticed a roller coaster effect where things seem to be going well and other times when I find myself struggling to make sense of it all. Within our journey, it's important to learn how to adapt and this will depend on how close we are to God. Faith is knowing that as long as we are holding His hand and trusting Him completely, we are inspired with hope and the blessed assurance of being surrounded by His love. Psalm 23 allows us to consider the strength of believing, "Yea, Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me."

I noticed a bumper sticker the other day that said, some days you are the windshield and some days you are the bug, and I thought about how important it is to stay focused on the prize. And what is that? As a Christian, our goal is to learn how to surrender our will so that we can accomplish His. This includes developing an awareness in the good times and the hard times, that He is concerned and watching over us. Knowing and loving God is mandatory and listed as the highest commandment, but learning to trust Him will depend on how determined we are to see things His way. Believing is a personal decision that He is The Almighty with all power and authority and that we will always be safe and secure in the palm of His hand. On the days when we are knocked down and certain aspects of our life are disappointing, we need more than philosophy - we need more trust. We cannot change the past but we do have the choice to turn inward and ask God to help us with damage control and an extra dose of encouragement.

I can relate to those of you who are walking through a valley. The last two months have been grueling with the unexpected loss of my father along with another family matter that has recently brought sadness and discouragement. There are times when we pray and if the breakthrough does not happen, we are left bewildered and painfully rejected. It would be so nice if we could just sit around the kitchen table and have a heartfelt discussion with the Holy Spirit and listen intently as He explains all the details of our circumstances. To me, the disconcerting part is not knowing why our prayers seem to falter especially after we have believed so diligently. Granted, I realize our life is all about God's will being fulfilled but sometimes I would just like to know if I did something wrong that kept the doors locked or if the Lord maybe has some other plan altogether. Whatever the case, let us be assured that sincerely trusting Him will require humility and a clean heart in order to rest in His peace.

As our wedding vows remind us, "In sickness and in health, for better or for worse, and till death do us part" how much more are we committed in our holy covenant with God? Trusting that He is in control and wants the best for us is definitely a challenge when things are not working out and we are hurting, but let us remember that our journey was never promised to be smooth sailing without any storms or rough seas. This level of faith and wisdom will require perseverance and is the rewarding path to learning how to completely trust Him. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths." Let us be grateful that He surrounding us today with His peace that passes all understanding.

Dr. Holland lives in Central Kentucky with his wife Cheryl, where he is a Christian outreach minister and chaplain. Each week, look for his faith column, "Living on Purpose" to find thought provoking messages of inspiration, hope and encouragement. To learn more visit billyhollandministries.com.