Tag Archives: Trials

December 4, 2025 · 5:30 AM

Yet I Will Praise Him

If you’ve ever read the book of Job, you may have found yourself feeling sorry for him. There may have been times in your life when you’ve even related to him too. I know I have had those moments. When you go through periods of loss or continuous disappointment, Job is a great book to read. You will find that there’s always someone who has it worse than you, there is purpose in pain and that you can endure anything. I don’t know how many times I’ve read the book, but I can tell you that I’m still amazed when I come to the end of the first chapter. After Job has lost all his livestock, his riches and his children, he doesn’t curse God. He doesn’t cry out, “Why me?” Instead, it says he fell to his knees and worshipped God. He recognized that everything he had came from God, and if God took it all back, he was good with it.

I can honestly say that during my times of great disappointment and loss, that was not my attitude. To stand on rock bottom in life, look up from the hole you’re in and bless God seems unfathomable, yet Job was able to. If he was able to, you and I are to. He made the choice to worship instead of to whine. He chose to bless God instead of to curse Him. He made the choice to recognize everything he had belonged to God and wasn’t a result of His own work. The perspective he had challenges me to readjust and calibrate how I see God and how I react in the bad times. It’s easy to worship when things are going well, but can we worship when everything seems to be going wrong? Can we praise Him when our prayers are unanswered? Can we thank Him when we don’t see a way forward? Can you say, “Even though I’m broken, yet will I praise you”?

Habakkuk 3:17-18 says, “Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!” (NLT) There’s a very similar picture here to the attitude Job had and that we are to have. Joy is not something that is circumstantial. It doesn’t rely on what’s going on around you. Joy looks at where your strength comes from. It looks at who your hope is in. It is defiant in the face of any circumstance you may face, and it says, “My hope is not in all, these things. My hope is in God. No matter what comes my way, I know that my God is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than I can ask or pray for. Even though things look bad now, yet will I praise God! He is my rock, my fortress and my salvation.” You and I have that same spirit of joy within us. In tough times, activate it and worship. Remind yourself that God is in control, He has a plan and that no matter what happens you will continue to trust and to praise Him.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.

Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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December 4, 2024 · 5:43 AM

God’s Gift Of Joy

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a group of angels appeared to shepherds nearby. At first the shepherds were afraid. Luke 2:10-11 says, “But the angel reassured them. ‘Don’t be afraid!’ he said. ‘I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!’” (NLT) God was gifting the world a savior and with Him joy. Biblical joy is more than the emotion of happiness. It is a contentment in any situation that comes from faith and trust in God. His joy also gives us strength to endure whatever we’re going through. God wasn’t just giving us a Savior from our sins. He was giving us Immanuel, His Son who would be with us in whatever we face.

In John 15, Jesus was telling us that He is the vine, our source, and we are the branches. He reminded us of God’s love for us and that we are to remain in Him. Life’s pressures will try to separate you from Him, but we must remain because there is nothing that can separate us from His love. In verse 11, He goes onto say, “I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!” Our joy comes from remaining in Him and resting in His love when fear, hunger, worry, death or all the powers of hell come against us. Our choice to remain will produce the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives. One of the fruits that He wants to cultivate is joy because it is not contingent on our circumstances. Our faith sees beyond the moment we’re standing in and trusts in His plan.

When Paul wrote the letter to the Church at Rome, he had been in prison and been beaten for His faith. His words to them were born out of faith and trust in God rather than his temporary pain. In Romans 15:13 he wrote, “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” Those words should encourage us today. God will not only give you hope that this too shall pass, but He will also give you joy in the midst of your pain. He will give you strength to endure and come out on the other side producing fruit in a barren season because you trust in and remain in Him. His gift of joy to you this season is a gift worth cherishing and holding onto.

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November 19, 2024 · 5:31 AM

No Shortcuts

Several years ago there was a college admissions scandal. Several rich, prominent families were paying people off in order to give their kids an unfair advantage in getting into colleges. A lot of famous people committed fraud doing this while paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribe money. What they didn’t understand was how they were setting their kids up for failure in life. By contrast, people like Kevin O’Leary and Warren Buffet have given their kids very little to help them in life. They have said that they don’t necessarily want their kids to inherit their wealth because they won’t have struggled to gain it. The struggle is where they learn to appreciate it and value it. They believe that taking financial struggles away from their kids will cripple them in the long run and destroy their character.

In the Bible, God used struggle and hardship as part of His process to strengthen people, develop character and to get people ready to lead. Joseph stands chief among them. When he was a teenager, God gave him dreams of what his future would hold. He shared them with his family and was a punk to his brothers. They resented him for his behavior and dreams, so they grabbed him, stripped him, and sold him as a slave. His favored status was gone and years of struggling ensued as he worked in Potiphar’s house and went to prison. While he was in prison and forgotten, God worked on his character. When he was ready, God redeemed him from the pit and placed him second in command to Pharaoh. When his brothers came seeking help, he didn’t take revenge. He recognized God’s hand in the struggle.

James 1:3-4 says, “For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing” (NLT). God has a process to grow you and place you. It isn’t an easy one. Don’t have the mindset of the people above who tried to shortcut the process. That ultimately affects your development and character. Trials and tests are part of the growth process. If you want to be complete, lacking nothing, you must submit to the process. It won’t be easy, but the strength you will gain will maximize your ability to reach the potential God placed in you. Instead of trying to use a shortcut, ask God for strength, wisdom and courage to endure. You can become the person God sees in you and be used for greater things.

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June 25, 2024 · 5:43 AM

Seeking Shelter

Our area has been through some rough storms over the past few months. A few weeks ago, we were in the mall while it was raining. We went into a store to see a particular shirt. As we went in, the employee said she had just received a text from the mall management that we were going to need to go to a sheltered area soon if the storm worsens. Then a few days later, we were at home around noon when all of a sudden the house got dark around noon. I looked outside and street lights were coming on. We quickly made it to an interior room for shelter to ride out the storm. These series of storms reminded me of some of the things we’ve been through this year. We’ve had to shelter ourselves in God on multiple occasions this year. Where do you go for shelter when the storms of life come?

In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul laid out some of the storms he had been through. He said five time he had been whipped with thirty nine lashes and three times with rods. He had been shipwrecked and spent time adrift at sea. He faced raging rivers and robbers while traveling for the Lord. He also had sleepless nights, gone without food and not had enough clothes to keep him warm. Then in chapter 4:8-9 he encouraged us by saying. “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed” (NLT). I love that he said “we” in those verses. All of go through them, but when we shelter ourselves in God, we will not be destroyed by what life throws at us.

Psalm 32:7 says, “For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory.” David wrote this song during one of the storms he faced. It’s a great reminder that while each of us will go through storms, when we run to the Father, He protects us. We may lose everything, but we stay protected in Him. I love that God surrounds us with songs of victory in times when we feel like we’re being defeated. Even though the enemy comes to steal kill and destroy, and even though he may appear to be successful against you at times, God is there sing songs of victory over you. Psalm 91:1 reminds us, “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” Not only do we find protection from the storm in Him, we can also find rest in our times of trouble as we shelter in Him.

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June 17, 2024 · 5:33 AM

Open Space

In some of the most difficult times in my life, my focus had to become very narrow. I found that thinking of the future became overwhelming. There were times I had to think a minute ahead or five minutes ahead. I had to have tunnel vision to help me survive that period of time. As I began to move forward, I began to start thinking a day ahead, then a week and later a month. It took a while though. When you’re going through a tough time, your energy has to be focused on survival. Over time, God leads you out of the valley of the shadow of death into wide open spaces filled with green pastures and beside the still waters. He doesn’t leave us in the tight spaces. We go through them, but they’re on our way to where He’s leading us.

In Genesis 26, there was a famine in the land where Isaac lived so he moved to Gerar. God never left him during that time and continued to bless him and his crops. The neighboring Philistines became jealous and filled his wells with dirt. Then the king of Gerar became afraid of him and kicked him out of that country. Verse 17 says he moved into the narrow valley of Gerar. He began to reopen the wells Abraham dug and also dug some of his own, but they were contested. The shepherds from where he was kicked out of claimed his wells so he named them “Argument” and “Hostility”. He gave up his rights to them. Verse 22 says, “Abandoning that one, Isaac moved on and dug another well. This time there was no dispute over it, so Isaac named the place Rehoboth (which means ‘open space’), for he said, ‘At last the Lord has created enough space for us to prosper in this land.’” (NLT). The Lord led him out of the valley into an open space.

Psalm 66:12 says, “We passed through fire and water, but you brought us out into a wide open place” (NET). This was referring to the Israelites leaving the bondage of Egypt into their promised land. You and I will pass through the fire and water of trials. We will experience being in tight spaces where it’s dark and where there seems to be no way out. However, God will always lead us to an open space that full of abundance. Continue to cry out to Him and rely on Him when things seem unfair, when your wells of blessing are plugged up by the enemy and when you’re falsely accused. There is freedom and healing ahead in the open spaces God has for you. Follow the leading of your shepherd for He cares for you.

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June 12, 2024 · 5:43 AM

Remain Faithful

After having gone through a difficult season, I asked my son how he was feeling and what was he thinking about it. He immediately said he didn’t understand why things happened as they did because we had fasted and prayed for a different outcome. He then said, “It makes me question if God really exists.” I began to explain how trials and tests can cause us to question His existence at times because we don’t understand. It can also cause us to question if our prayers are heard and other things as well. What matters is we push through our feeling of the moment and grab onto the reality of who He is. I reminded him of the time God supernaturally answered our prayers and times He’s specifically showed up. I let him know we all go through moments like that at times when we’re going through trials. It’s important to refocus on what God has done so we can remain faithful.

In Luke 22:31, Jesus said to Peter, “Simon, Simon! Listen! Satan has received permission to test all of you, to separate the good from the bad, as a farmer separates the wheat from the chaff” (GNT). What Peter didn’t know was his world was going to crumble that night. He would also deny knowing Jesus three times. Jesus then said, “But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith will not fail. And when you turn back to me, you must strengthen your brothers.” Jesus prayed for Peter, and He also intercedes for us in our moments of testing. Peter beat himself up pretty badly for failing in the test the way he did, but that wasn’t the end. He did turn back and remained faithful and led the Early Church. His failure in the test, like ours, is not the end.

James 1:12 says, “Happy are those who remain faithful under trials, because when they succeed in passing such a test, they will receive as their reward the life which God has promised to those who love him.” Everyone will face tests because Satan wants to sift us and cause us to doubt our faith making us ineffective. He wants us to return to our old life, but Jesus is praying for you that your faith won’t fail. He’s waiting to restore you and strengthen you. It’s in times of testing we find out where we truly stand. Sometimes we pass with flying colors and other times we’re left questioning everything. It’s good to keep a journal of what all God has done so you can remind yourself of the faithfulness of God in those moments. When we remain faithful and make it through the trial, God will give us more of His abundant life He promised us and we will receive the crown of life.

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May 2, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Your Firm Foundation

In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus told the people that people who listen to what He says and applies it is like a wise person who builds their house on a firm and unshakable foundation. Then He said that those who hear His words and doesn’t apply them is like a foolish person who built their house on sand instead of a foundation. When the storms of life come, and it rains day after day, one of those houses will collapse and the other will stand strong no matter what comes against it. Hearing what Jesus says is important, that’s where faith comes from, but it’s not enough. We must apply the godly principles to our lives if we want the blessings that they produce. You can’t get the foundation He was talking about unless you do something with His teachings.

In today’s world, we are watching the rain come down day after day. The wind is blowing against everyone’s houses. Financial markets are crashing across the world. Education systems are under stress trying to figure out how to respond in this time of crisis. Governments across the world are scrambling trying to protect their people and keep their country afloat. The flood waters are rising and the houses that have been built on the sand are crashing down. Fear and panic have taken over the world as people watch what they’ve built get destroyed. Believers are no different. The things they have built are being affected by the storm and floods too, but there is a difference. We have a firm foundation that will remain no matter what comes.

Proverbs 10:25 says, “When the storms of life come, the wicked are whirled away, but the godly have a lasting foundation” (NLT). There is no need to fear or panic as a person who has applied God’s Word to their life. He is still in control and He is still your source. He is your Jehovah Jireh, your provider. No matter how high the waters rise or how long the storm lasts, the godly, the ones who have built their lives on applying God’s Word, have a lasting foundation that is unshakable. You have an anchor of hope that will not let you be moved in this time. Hold onto your faith. Hold onto the promises of God. Rest on your foundation that He has given you. He will be true to His Word. Even Job lost everything, but he held onto his foundation and was able to worship in the storm.

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Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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December 14, 2023 · 5:30 AM

Getting In The Wheelbarrow

I like to tell people that you will always act on what you truly believe, especially when you’re under pressure. It’s easy to say you believe something, but the proof comes when stress is applied. There’s a story of a man named Charles Blonden who famously put out a tightrope across Niagara Falls. He crossed it several times using different methods like stilts, backwards, blindfolded, carrying a stove and cooking on it. One time he pushed a wheelbarrow across it. When he arrived on the other side, the crowd applauded. He then asked who believed he could push someone in that wheelbarrow across the tightrope. Everyone cheered agreeing that he could. He then asked for a volunteer from the cheering crowd. The crowd fell silent and no one volunteered. Later his manager Harry Colcord did ride across on his back.

It’s easy to say we believe something until we have to get I to the wheelbarrow. In the Old Testament, God asked Abraham to take his only son to the land of Moriah and offer him as a sacrifice (Genesis 22). This was a faith testing moment. God had already told him that through Isaac he would have many descendants. He took Isaac to the mountain anyway because He truly believed God. David’s faith was tested too. He had been anointed king, but God delayed in that promise. He had several opportunities to kill Saul, the current king, but he trusted God’s timing instead. Many opportunities presented themselves, but he passed on them all as he waited for God’s perfect timing.

Testing is part of God’s means of proving our faith just like He did for those in the Bible. If He tested them, He’ll test us. 1 Peter 1:7 says, “Their purpose is to prove that your faith is genuine. Even gold, which can be destroyed, is tested by fire; and so your faith, which is much more precious than gold, must also be tested, so that it may endure. Then you will receive praise and glory and honor on the Day when Jesus Christ is revealed” (GNT). Testing purifies and solidifies our faith. Don’t back down from what you believe when hard times come or when you’re called out on it. Get in the wheelbarrow and trust God to carry you across Niagara’s Falls. He’s proven time and time again He’s able to, but it’s up to us to trust Him enough to get in.

Photo by Sergey Pesterev on Unsplash

Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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June 30, 2023 · 5:41 AM

Building Endurance

In the Bible, the Greek word for endurance is hypomone. Strong’s Concordance defines it as, “The characteristic of a person who is not swerved from their deliberate purpose and their loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials.” Over and over the Bible says we must have this kind of endurance. We must be the type of person who keeps our eyes and mind on the things above and not lose our focus when things come against us. Our nature is to be like Peter where we take our eyes off Jesus and look at the storm around us. Like Peter, we can lose our footing if that happens, but God is gracious and helps us back up so we can continue. If you’re going through trials, remember your purpose and reset your focus. You’re building an endurance that is necessary to your faith.

Here are some Bible verses on endurance.

1. We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy,

Colossians 1:11 NLT

2. For you have need of patient endurance [to bear up under difficult circumstances without compromising], so that when you have carried out the will of God, you may receive and enjoy to the full what is promised.

Hebrews 10:36 AMP

3. In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.

2 Peter 1:5-7 NLT

4. May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ.

2 Thessalonians 3:5 NLT

5. Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace].

James 1:3 AMP

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