4 Insights to Help You Keep Trusting God When It Hurts
A pale, yellow aspen leaf flutters from above. The shape of a teardrop, it swirls on some unseen current and lands at my feet. Picking it up, I’m reminded of the One who counts our teardrops and stores them in a bottle. It’s not easy to keep trusting God when it hurts.
Circumstances have been difficult here throughout the past months. Hopes and dreams have crashed and burned, and at times, it felt crushing.
Trusting God When It Hurts
Most of us have tasted the bitter flavor of broken dreams. Whether you were asking God to lead you into a relationship, give you a child, or bring a long-awaited vision to fruition, derailed dreams are heartbreaking.
As I’ve processed disappointment this year, God has gently reminded me of what it looks like to trust him when it isn’t easy. Save these insights for your rainy day.
4 Ways to Keep Trusting God When Life Doesn’t Make Sense:
1. Trust God when it hurts by remembering that closed doors are for your protection.
It’s healthy to grieve the loss of our shattered dreams; however, as we grieve, God wants to remind us that his closed doors are his way of protecting us. He closes doors out of love. We can trust God to close every door that will not lead us into his best plan for our lives. Likewise, we can trust him to open every door that aligns with his purposes.
2. Remember that your disappointment is a platform to give testimony to Christ’s love.
The world will expect you to become bitter when life doesn’t go according to your plans. Other people will expect you to take offense and respond to rejection with anger. Defy the world’s expectations by responding with kindness instead of anger. In his book Renovated, James Wilder teaches that spiritual maturity is displayed when we spontaneously love our enemies.
God wants to transform our hearts to the image of Love. Ask him to fill you with love and compassion for those who don’t understand you or are different from you. Pray for them. See them through the lens of love. When you are mistreated, respond with love. You might be the only vessel of Christ’s love another person encounters in a lifetime.
People are always watching us, but they watch more closely when we face trials. Disappointments are opportunities to defy the world’s expectations by declaring your trust in Jesus and your love for others.
3. Trust God when it hurts by realizing you can’t see the whole story from where you’re standing.
It’s only natural to ask God to show us the reason why our dreams fall apart. I don’t believe it’s wrong to ask God why. He wants to talk to us openly and freely. I’ve also learned that he doesn’t always provide answers immediately.
Disappointments are opportunities to live by faith and not by sight. Dallas Willard uses the words “faith” and “trust” interchangeably. His teaching has helped me grasp the meaning of the term “living by faith” on a deeper level. Living by faith is living with trust that God is good and keeps all his promises to us.
When God doesn’t provide answers for life’s crushing moments, we can trust that he is working in unseen ways. He has not given up on us. As I poured my heart out to God recently, I was reminded that I can’t see the end of my story from my current vantage point. In response, I prayed, “I trust you, Lord—even though I don’t understand.”
Immediately, I was overcome with a torrent of peace. I sensed the Lord’s pleasure. Trusting him in times of uncertainty is a beautiful expression of our love and devotion to him.
4. When your heart is broken, worship.
When life hurts, my mind is often scattered. I have trouble focusing on my Bible and often read full pages without comprehending a single word. When Bible reading is difficult, soaking in worship is a powerful way to connect with God. Worship takes our minds off our troubles and focuses our eyes on heaven’s throne room. Worship holds the power to heal, uplift, and carry us through even the darkest valleys.
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Trusting God when it hurts doesn’t come easily for most of us. However, you can trust that he who began a good work in you will carry it onto completion (Phil. 1:6). Keep your heart soft, your mind open, and your eyes fixed on the King of Kings.
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