Hope for Troubled Times

There are so many times when life simply does not make sense.

You watch God miraculously heal your cancer-stricken grandfather, but the health of someone else near and dear to your heart gets worse with every passing day.

You stake so many things on a bold step of faith, but before you can even announce it to the world a ton of bricks fall and smash it all to the ground.

You decided that a new year was the perfect reminder to start over new, to put the past behind you and leave it there, but the enemy and the sin of mankind continue to bring force against you, and the battle only gets harder and victory seems further and further out of sight.

In all these things, it's so easy to say "I don't understand," and for some it's even easier to say "why, God?" and walk away. But my gracious heavenly Father will not let me go. And I will not let Him go. It has always been the times of trial when I am forced to trust my God. What other option do I have?

I've heard it said that it's easy to rely on Him when circumstances are right, when it's "all good," but hard to rely on Him when the whole world seems against you. But it's always been when it's "all good" that it's been easiest to forsake my first Love. And it's always been the times of trial that the deepest strengthening and dependence upon Him has occurred. It's been those times, when I am face-to-face with my insufficiency and weakness that I've fallen deepest into the arms of my Loving Abba Father and trusted Him more. Where else can I go?

I don't know if anyone beyond my closest few even reads this blog, but trying times will eventually catch up to us all. I plead that if you are reading this, you would remember your dear Father.

He alone is Faithful.
He alone is Good.
He alone gives us hope.

"If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful---for he cannot deny himself." (2 Tim 2:11-13)

So, trusting that in ALL things, my God is faithful, I will hope in our all-sufficient King.
Please, my troubled friend, hope in Him, too.