Written by Kenva Barr, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Texas
But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. (Jer 17:7-8 NIV)
We are reminded to have confident trust in all seasons. Living the Christian life is beautiful. There are so many blessings that we receive daily, but there are also a lot of hard times we must endure. We can find ourselves feeling drained and empty at times. We endure pain and suffering, too. Even when we do our best, trials arise out of nowhere. These are our seasons of testing that can leave us feeling parched and weary. We may wonder, is God really listening to our prayers? If He cares for me, why do I feel so alone, and why do I have to go through this? Our scripture is a reminder to place our faith in God. The Greek word for faith also means to believe, and to trust… which is hard to do in times of “drought.” It is hard, but not impossible.
A confident trust in God leads us to do His will, despite what life throws at us. It is what drives us to praise even when our prayers may not be answered the way that we had hoped.
How can we have confident trust in all seasons? One way is to remember that Jesus warned us that the world would hate us, and the apostle Peter warned us to expect trials. Having a mindset that allows us to remember that “this is only for a season, and seasons always change” will help. Along the way, remember to keep praying and praising God. The Bible tells us that God will draw nigh to us if we draw nigh to Him, and we need His strength.
The evil one wants us to feel weakened and give up. He wants us to dismiss our faith so he can defeat us. He will remind you of your past sins to trap you with guilt, but you are already forgiven! He will put any obstacle in our way to stop us – even those we love – but we have God’s help. If you stumble, forgive yourself and pick yourself up; you have God’s grace. Remember, the enemy was already defeated at the cross.
Endurance is so important. Don’t allow your feelings to rule your actions. Keeping our focus on spiritual matters, especially when things go wrong, strengthens our faith. This is what it means to be rooted: you are unmovable. Keep following Jesus! Keep serving and loving others, and don’t neglect Bible study or worship. When possible, spend time with others of the faith to be strengthened. Share your struggles and how you have overcome them, too.
You never know who will benefit. Remember to ask for prayers when you feel overwhelmed, and talk to a trusted Christian who has gone through that struggle and can give you wise counsel. When I lack confident trust in God, and the scorching heat of fear and doubt try to burn me, I meditate on God’s promises for reassurance:
- God will never leave me nor forsake me (Heb 13:5,6; Dt 31:6; Isa 41:10).
- I can be content in every situation; Jesus is my peace (Jn 14:27; Eph 2:14).
- In my weakness, God lends me His strength (2 Co 12:9).
- God will meet all my needs (Php 4:19).
- God gave me a Spirit of power, love, and discipline (2Ti 1:7).
- If I put Him first, everything else will eventually fall into place (Mt 6:33; 2Co 5:9; Ecc 12:13).
- Everything will work out for the best because I love God and do His will (Ro 8:28).
- I can cast all my anxiety on God; He cares for me (Php 4:6,7; 1Pe 5:7).
- God will keep me; I don’t need to be anxious (Rev 3:10; Mt 6:25-34).
- God will fight for me (Jos 1:9).
Focusing on God’s promises helps anchor us in our faith. In any season, through any trial, we can confidently trust that God is in charge and that God has a plan for us (Jer 29:11).
What other promises of God can you think of, and how do these give you confident trust in Him?
