12 Blessings of Trusting God in Uncertain Times
I’m cleaning out the basket above the fridge when I discover a tattered calendar. Opening it, I flip through the empty pages. I remember the year vividly. It was a year marked by pain and suffering. Illness kept the calendar blank for months. At the time, I was blind to the blessings of trusting God in our circumstances.
Surprisingly, I realize I’m smiling as I reflect on the year.
I recall the tears, the sorrow, and the prayers that seemed to go unanswered for months.
At the time, those unanswered prayers didn’t feel like something to smile about.
The Blessings of Trusting God
Most likely, you have a few unanswered prayers, too.
Maybe you’re praying for a child who turned away from the Lord or a friend who has never turned toward him.
Perhaps you’ve been praying for an ailing loved one, a financial blessing, a victory, an apology, or a breakthrough. Possibly, you’ve grown weary from waiting for God to answer your prayer. You wonder if you should just stop asking.
As I look back on the year my prayers seemed to go unanswered, I see what I couldn’t see in the middle of my pain: Even when God seems silent, he is still working.
When we trust God in uncertain times, we are blessed.
Today, we’ll explore the blessings of trusting God in difficult times.
Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you trust God.
Let’s look at the blessings of trusting God.
The Blessings of Trusting God in Uncertain Times
1. We flourish in life when we put our trust in God.
Jeremiah 17:7-8 reads, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit” (ESV).
We don’t bear fruit on our own.
We bear fruit by remaining closely connecting to God, trusting him.
This passage offers several encouraging insights about the blessings of trusting God: Our roots are sustained by God’s living water; we don’t fear life’s trials and troubles; we continue to flourish through difficult times; we are not anxious; we bear good fruit.
2. God makes our paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6 reads, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
God wants to direct our lives.
When we trust him, not relying on our own understanding, he directs us.
3. We experience perfect peace when we trust God.
Isaiah 26:3-4 reads, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.”
Most of us would gladly receive more peace if God offered it to us.
The wonderful news today is that he does offer us his peace. We can experience God’s perfect peace by keeping our thoughts fixed on him and trusting him.
I’ve learned that when I’m having a hard time trusting God, I can be honest with him about it. I pray, “God, I want to trust you with this, but I don’t. Please help me trust you more.”
This is a prayer God answers because it aligns with his will. One way to grow in trust is to memorize and repeat the words of Isaiah 26:3.
4. We experience God as our strength and our shield when we trust him.
Psalm 28:7 reads, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.”
God helps us, serving as our source of strength and a protective shield when we trust him.
5. We experience rest in God.
Psalm 91:1-2 reads, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
We all need safe places to rest.
God invites us to rest in his presence by putting our trust in him.
6. The peace that surpasses understanding guards our hearts in Christ.
Philippians 4:6-7 reads, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
When we pray to God and ask for help, he covers us with his peace.
7. The Holy Spirit gives us hope.
Romans 15:13 reads, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
God wants to fill us with hope. Trusting him blesses us because the Holy Spirit works within us to help us grow in hope.
8. Our hearts are firm, not fearful.
Psalm 112:7 reads, “He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.”
How would your life be different if you never again feared the future?
God wants you to grow in trust so that you relinquish every fear to him. He can help you step into the future with the confidence that he is already there. He has prepared the way for you.
9. God acts on our behalf as we trust in him.
Psalm 37:3-7 reads, “Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!”
Be still before the Lord. Ask him to help you grow in trust.
As you seek him, he will align your heart with his heart. As this happens, you will see more and more answers to your prayers.
10. God works all things together for good, conforming us to the image of Jesus.
Romans 8:28 reads, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
God works all things for good by using challenges to mold us into the image of Jesus.
You can trust that he won’t waste your suffering. Your role is to keep a soft and unoffended heart.
11. God makes us mature and complete as we trust him in life’s trials.
James 1:2-4 reads, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
Difficult times help us grow in maturity.
Ask God to help you trust that he will use life’s struggles to help you become more mature and complete in him.
12. God’s power is made perfect in our weakness.
2 Corinthians 12:9 reads, “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
Lastly, one of the great blessings of trusting God in difficult times is seeing his power move in our lives.
When we are weak, God is strong.
The Blessings of Trusting God
Even in our darkest hours, the blessings of trusting God are available for us all.
Are you suffering? Does life feel uncertain?
Don’t lose hope.
What God is doing in you throughout this season is far more important than what he is doing for you. He is with you, and he wants you to grow in trust. As you learn to trust him more, you will experience his peace. You will also emerge looking more like Jesus.
Read here for 12 blessings of trusting God in uncertain times. #trust #faith #hope Share on XIf these blessings on trusting God in difficult times encouraged you, I invite you to explore our family devotional books and library of free devotionals and eBooks below. May your relationship with God grow deeper and your trust grow stronger.
Calling All Parents and Grandparents!
As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 15, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or older relatives to read with the children and teens they love. You can find all three books here or read more below.
Calling All Boy Moms (and Dads)!
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength helps young boys, ages 5-13, learn what it means to trust God and become strong warriors for his kingdom. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to boldly carry God’s love into the world. I wrote this boys’ devotional book with our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven! You’ll enjoy their honesty as we teach boys how to be strong warriors for the Lord. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
Mother-Daughter Devotionals by a Mom and Daughter
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
Find Our Family Devotionals Here
Find all three books right here. They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial! These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them. Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.
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A Free Devotional Book to Help You Find Strength in God:
I have a gift for you today. Hope for Hard Days is my free 10-day online devotional to help you hold onto hope when life is tough. You will find 10 readings to help you connect with God and rest in his sufficiency. Click here and I’ll send it to your email inbox today for free with promo code HOPE. I also offer a library of free online devotional eBooks for free. I invite you to explore the collection right here!
Quote taken from https://annvoskamp.com/2019/11/the-treasures-we-find-as-we-walk-the-darkest-journeys/
