Everyone experiences some very difficult times of testing at different points in their lives. Maybe you’re in the midst of one of these times and you’re feeling weary and wondering what good will come out of this time of testing and when it is going to stop.
But no matter what is going on in your life, God wants you to know that He loves you, He cares, and everything is in His hands. Even if no one else understands how your heart is aching, He truly understands. It may take time for the hurt you are experiencing to heal, but it will heal because He has promised that He will not leave us comfortless.1 He wants to comfort us through everything that we experience. He’s touched with the feeling of our infirmities‚ and He understands.2 He will ease your burdens. He will soothe the pain. He will answer your prayers. You will see the sunshine again, so don’t give up in despair, but talk to your Best Friend and let Him give you the comfort that you need.
Maybe you’ve suffered a heartbreak in a relationship recently, and you feel broken, crushed, alone, insecure, and unlovable. The unfailing love of Jesus is there for you even through your darkest and loneliest nights, and He can help you have faith in love once again. He won’t leave your heart and life broken; even if it’s shattered in a million pieces, He’s able to find and gather each piece‚ to make you whole again and make something beautiful of your life.
Maybe you feel overworked or overloaded right now; you feel that you just can’t keep up with the pressure of all that there is to do. If you’re feeling worn out spiritually, physically, mentally, or all three, remember Jesus’ promise, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”3
When it seems impossible to do everything that you need to, do ask God for His strength and guidance, and He will provide. If the burden becomes too much to bear, talk to Jesus about it and ask Him for the solution. He can guide you to ways to pace yourself. He can show you when you need to stop for a while and pray or read His Word or take some downtime to rest and enjoy life and your family and loved ones.
Maybe you’ve landed in a temporary situation where you seem to be getting stuck for a long time, or you simply can’t find a place, a job, a home, or a career that seems right for you. Please don’t despair, because Jesus is preparing a place for you—not only a place in heaven, but a place on earth here and now. Remember also that God doesn’t make mistakes.
God’s men and women of faith throughout history didn’t look for the places of service that suited them, but rather for what they could do for others. They were visionaries who believed that they could make a difference in the world, and they set out to make that difference‚ and many of them achieved their goal because they didn’t give up.
I recently read something that I thought did a good job of describing the character of the visionary.
People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered. Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
The biggest people with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest people with the smallest minds. Think big anyway.
People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs. Fight for some underdogs anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.4
Doing the right thing anyway, in spite of opposition or your feelings of discouragement or inadequacy, is the making of men and women of faith; it’s the path to making a difference. And when you walk God’s road, He won’t fail to take care of you. You can count on His promises.
God has promised to supply all your needs according to His riches in glory,5 and He’s promised to strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being.6 We know that He will never fail to take care of you, no matter what! And one day you’re going to be so thankful that He brought you through each and every thing you experienced in this life.