I’ll be honest; this has been a tough week. I had another relapse of an infection I’ve been fighting for close to 3 months. My husband can’t hear out of one ear due to a previous illness. And the doctors just don’t seem to have answers for either of us. Then yesterday, a close friend was in a motorcycle accident and is now fighting for his life. But despite the storms raging all around me, I can still find faith that God is good, even when life is gloomy.
You might wonder how I find faith to keep going when life is grueling. Well, the way I see it, we have a choice. We can grumble in grief or give God glory when He brings good from the enemy’s grief. He has been doing this since Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery. (Genesis 50:20) Even Jesus suffered and died. But he reminded us to have faith. “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33, NIV) God used this ghastly event to bring about His good plan for our salvation. “God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.” (1 John 4:9, NLT)
Four Steps for Choosing Faith that God is Good:
1. Feel the Feelings
We can cry, scream, get angry, and feel frustrated. Feelings are part of who we are. They make us human and allow us to be compassionate towards others. It’s okay to go to God and lay out all our feelings and fears. He’s a big God. He can take it. Unloading your feelings will relieve your hurt and stress.
Look at David’s example. Throughout the Psalms, David repeatedly pours out his anguish and fears to God. “Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief. My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak.” (Psalm 31, 9-10, NIV)
2. Feel the Peace of God’s Presence
Sometimes, we need to be held. When we seek God, we find peace, strength, and comfort. God will hold us in His arms and comfort us. “His massive arms are wrapped around you, protecting you. You can run under his covering of majesty and hide. His arms of faithfulness are a shield keeping you from harm.” Psalm 91:4 (TPT)
3. Feel Grateful
We can reflect on past times when God has shown up, walked beside us in the hardest times, and brought good out of the worst situations. We can even write these in a journal. Later, we can read them and feel grateful. Seeing how God has always shown up builds our trust that He always will.
If we can’t find any of those times, we can open our Bible. When the Israelites were surrounded, God parted the Red Sea. (Exodus 14) God shut the lion’s mouths when Daniel was in the lion’s den. Daniel 6) God delivered Jonah from the belly of a huge fish. (Jonah 1-2) and Paul and Silas from prison. (Acts 16) I could go on and on. But my point is God has always shown up when His people need him. And He always will.
God gives us so much to be grateful for. We can close our eyes and reflect on all of God’s good gifts, God’s love, our family, friends, home, pets, the beauty of a sunset, and the sound of laughter. We must never forget, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. (James 1:17, NIV)
4. Feel Hope
Often, the hard places we find ourselves are where God wants us to surrender control and look only to Him. “He says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10, NIV) Why? Because God has a plan. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. “ (Romans 8:28, NIV)
We may not always understand God’s plan or timing, but we can trust God has good plans (Jeremiah 29:11), which can fuel our hope for the future. God may or may not answer our prayers the way we expect. But we know He will do something good from our difficult season. So, instead of focusing on the problem, we can focus on what God will do through it.
You, Too, Can Find Faith that God is Good.
Friend, I can’t tell you whether God plans to heal my husband, my friend, or myself. But I haven’t stopped praying. And if you are reading today, I would love it if you would pray too.
Despite everything, I trust God hears my prayers. He is working on our behalf. Perhaps our trials will one day become testimony of God’s miraculous healing power. And this testimony might help someone else endure. Perhaps my friend has accomplished his purpose on this earth, and it’s his time to go home. I can’t say. But the Bible tells me to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV) So I am. And I pray you, too, can find faith that God is Good, even when life feels gloomy.
Worship Music to Find Faith that God is Good:
10 Worship Songs about Trusting God in Hard Times A Worship Playlist When You’re Waiting
