Sometimes life pummels us so fiercely, we can barely breath. In those seasons, it can feel hard to hold tight to the truths we’ve learned. When our hearts are breaking, we need to know that we’re not alone and God won’t abandon us in our pain. If that’s where you currently find yourself, I hope my guest’s post encourages you.
Hope When Your Trust is Failing
by Becky Harling
I am convinced that trusting God is a lifelong journey. There are days when our faith is strong and steady and then life hits. We receive a cancer diagnosis, or a relationship crumbles, or financial difficulty hits. During those seasons we may start to wonder, “Does my faith really work?”
You are not alone in your wondering.
Asaph the Psalmist cried out, wondering if God had rejected him or if God was really listening to his prayers (Psalm 77:1-2,7).
John the Baptist, when in prison, sent word to Jesus asking, “Are you the one, …or should we look for someone else?” (Luke 7:18-23).
Jerry Bridges, author of Trusting God, Even When Life Hurts, writes that “Trust is not a passive state of mind. It is a vigorous act of the soul by which we choose to lay hold on the promises of God and cling to them despite the adversity that at times seeks to overwhelm us.”1
In other words, there are action steps we can take when we feel our trust is wavering.
What are those steps? Here are just a few:
Remember. When I feel my faith shaking or my anxiety rising, I look back to remember how God has provided or met me in the past. The Psalmist Asaph does this in Psalm 77; he boldly declares, “I will remember the deeds of the LORD” (Psalm 77:11). A few weeks ago, I was having difficulty trusting God with a certain situation. But as I paused and made a mental list of the miracles I had seen God do in the past, my faith was strengthened. The same principle holds true for you. Take time to remember.
Lean In To Your Community. Everyone needs 3-5 close friends who will pray when a crisis hits. Who are the close friends you have with whom you can be vulnerable and honest? Dare to be authentic. Take the risk and call or text them for prayer.
Praise Him, Even Though You Don’t Feel Like It. This type of praise is not all “happy clappy”. It’s more of a grunt and groan. It’s where you declare by faith what God’s word says is true about God. Asaph writes, “Your ways, God, are holy” (Psalm 77:13). My guess is he didn’t feel that, he just declared it. Don’t wait to praise God until you feel like it. Instead, take action and praise by faith, and trust that your feelings will follow.
Friends, the truth is trusting God may always feel challenging. But I have found in my own life that taking these three steps strengthens my faith enormously. I believe they will help your faith as well.
Check out Becky’s latest release, Cultivating Deeper Connections in a Lonely World:
Loneliness is an epidemic, but you can live life with a deep sense of belonging.
If you’ve ever felt that ache to connect and belong, you’re not alone: three out of every five people are suffering from loneliness. No group is excluded—married, unmarried, parents, pastors, leaders, elderly, and teenagers. We all experience moments . . . or long seasons of heart-aching loneliness. And it hurts. It can hurt right to the core.
In Cultivating Deeper Connections in a Lonely World, relationship expert, mother, grandmother, and John Maxwell Certified Coach Becky Harling taps into the deep ache of loneliness and shares with readers a rich theology of belonging. Does God ache for us? What does it mean that we belong to Him? How do we establish a deeply bonded relationship with others? What steps can we take to improve our relationships?
Because we were made for God and for community, relational isolation or brokenness is incredibly painful. But we don’t have to live isolated and unconnected. In fact, we must not. Our souls were designed for more. Deeply rooted in Scripture and joined with reflection questions, this book shows us how we can strengthen our relationships and experience deep connection.
Get to Know Becky Harling:
A best-selling author, Becky Harling has written 15 books. She is a popular speaker at conferences, retreats and other events. She has been a guest on many media outlets including Focus on the Family, Family Life Today and Moody radio. Becky is the host of, The Connected Mom Podcast and is a John Maxwell Leadership and Communications Coach.
