We truly don’t know what we believe until it is tested…I had this thought the other day.
After receiving some not so great news, I reflected back on the many times when I’ve sat in this very moment.
The moment when we must decide what truth are we going to believe.
The truth of God’s Word. Or what the current situation is telling us. Like, whose report will we believe?
Asking ourselves questions like…
- What do I believe about God?
- Do I think the Word of God is true, relevant, and applicable to my current situation?
- And do I believe my prayers are effective?
- Do I believe God hears me?
- And do I believe God is working on my behalf?
- Do I believe God is for me and not against me?
Because our response to these questions or questions like these will very much dictate how we navigate in and through and around the hard places in life.
A bad report, death, loss, and grief can be challenging to navigate.
But what I’m learning is questions are natural and normal. They actually help us to process.
And what I’ve learned is our faith is tested in the hard times in life.
Peter wrote, “These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” (1 Peter 1:7 NIV).
Like, what are we going to believe in this very hard place?
No, we’re not being graded. Instead, we are becoming more aware of who we are and who God is when we open our hearts and minds to receive the truths in God’s Word concerning our situations.
A Prayer for Those Navigating a Hard Place
Lord, I lift up the ones who are sitting in a hard place. Navigating through the “what is going on” to the “what do I do now or next”, Lord, I pray that you surround them with your love, comfort, and peace. And I pray your divine wisdom over them.
Lord, I pray they will walk in the steps you have ordered for them so that they may do the next right thing. I pray as they navigate this hard place, they will feel your tangible presence. That they know they are not alone. And that you are sitting with them. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
For a companion and hope in grief, pre-order my book Can You Just Sit With Me. Order here or wherever books are sold.
