hard times, long days
hold on just a little bit longer
You keep track of all my sorrows.
You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
You have recorded each one in your book.
Hold on just a little bit longer
I know it's gonna be okay
These days are gonna make you stronger
You'll find purpose in the pain
Hold on just a little bit longer
Deep down there's a well of faith
Let hope arise as you're lifting up My name
And just hold on
Just hold on, hold on
Your promise
It still stands
It's chasing after me
The rainbow
Through storm clouds
Is how I'm gonna see
That there is a light
That's waiting up ahead
So I'll stay in the fight
And look to the One who said
Are you struggling to stay afloat? Do you wonder how you are going to make it one more day with all the challenges you are facing? Do you feel hopeless when you think about the future?
Gas prices. The cost of groceries. Housing and housing expenses. School costs. Medical bills. Political issues. Divisiveness in our homes, at work, in the leadership of this country, in the leadership of this world! How in the world do we find anything to hold onto in days like these? How do we have hope?
In order to have hope, we must have a foundation for which that hope is built upon. We must believe in something greater than ourselves, and we must trust in something or someone we wholeheartedly believe will not waffle but stand firm and steady. It must be someone we believe sees us, knows our hurts, our brokenness, our struggles, someone who cares about them.
They must be someone who is strong enough to carry us through the storms, who is a beacon of hope when the waves of life are crashing down, and who can be a foundation that will not crumble around us when the earth shakes beneath us.
That someone is not anyone of this world. That someone is God.
photo by Miriam G @mimg
Nothing about this life is predictable. We all experience ups and downs along the way. It’s easy to trust God when all is well and things are going smoothly and life is good. But, as difficult as it is, when times are challenging, that is when it’s even more important to put our trust in Him.
Why? Because everything of this world is subject to change and is unsteady, but God, His character, and His promises are unchanging. His steadiness is the solid foundation we need when everything else around us seems to be shifting sand and uncertain.
We know that having hope and being hope filled require trust. So trusting God and His word regarding our lives is a critical piece of holding on in days like these and the days ahead that will challenge us. So how? How do we learn to trust Him? How do we get better at trusting God when times are hard? How do we keep trusting God when we cannot understand what is happening and we cannot see a possible resolution?
Here are some suggestions for learning to trust God in your everyday life, keeping in mind, the hope we need and desire is based on a foundation of trust.
1. Read the Word. God’s word is how we get to know Him. It’s how we learn how God has responded throughout history to those who cried out to Him in times of need. It’s how our trust is established in Him, and it is proof of His trustworthiness. It’s the foundation to build your trust on.
2. Be honest. Confess your lack of belief and trust. It’s difficult to believe sometimes, especially when times are hard. Confess it. He can handle it. Ask God to help you believe what He says is true, to help your feelings and beliefs to align with His truths.
3. Ask others to pray with and for you. Community matters. Surround yourself with people who encourage you to look to God and seek His truth and not this world’s constant moving target of what they call truth.
4. Spend time with God regularly, not just when life is tough. God is WAY bigger than our circumstances. Difficult times come and go. God is always present in good and bad. Knowing of His faithfulness and spending good times with Him helps build trust.
5. Practice gratitude. Whether good or bad times, there is always something to find that you can be grateful for, so be sure to give thanks. Being grateful fights the lies that life is terrible and not worth the fight. Even in tragedies God wants us to find His light and trust Him even then.
6. God’s timing is perfect. Wait on Him. Sometimes we just need to wait. Be faithfully seeking the Lord but wait on His timing. He will show up, keep trusting that He will do what you cannot do yourself.
“but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)
Trusting God means we believe He is reliable, His word is true, and He has the ability and strength to do what He promises. Scripture tells us that God cannot lie, that His word is true and He always keeps His promises concerning us. He gives purpose to our pain. He turns mourning into dancing and brings beauty from ashes. He even chases after us when we stray.
photo by wisconsinpictures @wisconsinpictures
We can trust this. We should find hope in these words.
God loves you and has good things in store for you.
This doesn’t mean He removes all obstacles or barriers, or that He promises us a peaceful, harmless journey. But what He does promise, what can be trusted, and what we can find hope in, is that He promises to walk through the fires with us. He will know the very hairs on our head. He knows our sorrows and catches our tears. He sees us.
Important reminder of what trust isn’t. Trusting God isn’t a “feeling.” We have to choose to trust and have faith, especially when our feelings and circumstances seem to be saying otherwise. Feelings and circumstances matter, and God cares about those, but those things alone are not reliable. We cannot base our life off of those.
“Don't follow your heart, feelings and passions fluctuate and will cause you to become confused and stumble. Instead follow Jesus, who is constant and true, he will never cause you to stumble but instead will lead you to everlasting life.” (Jeremiah 17:9)
When we choose as an act of obedience, to trust God and stand on His foundation in our trials, God will give you the hope and peace you need while walking down the difficult roads. Easier said than done. I understand.
Yes, we are living in difficult times, but I promise you, you can find hope. There is a light up ahead. Don’t give up. Don’t lose all hope. You can be encouraged and encourage others. He does give us a sense of peace and hope, and a joy that fills us to overflowing in spite of the challenges of this life. We just need to trust and obey.
If we trust someone, we are vulnerable with them. Tell God your feelings, your circumstances, your hurts, your anger…tell Him about everything. He can handle it! I promise!
“When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:17-20)
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7)
When you trust God, He is your first stop when life is hard, not self-help books or podcasts, not your horoscope. Nothing of this world should be your first stop. You trust He will provide and you obey in the interim. You don’t look for promises and security in other things. You count on God to get you through the challenges.
Jesus knows this life is hard. He was human. He asked His Father to spare Him from what He knew was coming, His torture and death, but He remained obedient in spite of the hardship and pain. He is our ultimate example of holding on, trusting in the hard times, having hope, and seeing and being the light in the dark.
Portions paraphrased and referenced from, How to Trust God, Even in Difficult Times, Brittany Yesudasan
