Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. Psalm 148:8 NIV
Life can take unexpected twists and turns. We work hard only to be led away from work we enjoy and love. Our family life does not come to the fruition we expect. Friendships waver; a relationship to a church we love dissipates; we grieve those we have lost in this life. It can feel as if we are drowning in the problems of this world. Our hope, though, is in the trust we can place in Jesus. We can trust that when the mountains seem tall or the journey long that He can and will direct our steps.
We can look to Him as we navigate life’s struggles and be confident that He knows the path and the reasons that are deeper than anything our human mind can understand. I know that we’ve likely all experienced something in life that took us in a direction we never thought possible, when we first faced it. It can be difficult when faced with a trial to not allow our human emotions to immediately overtake us, but when we have our hope in Christ, we know we can look to Him in those moments. We can trust Him in the heartache, grief, and frustration to lead our steps towards a better tomorrow.
Our ability to trust God when life shifts unexpectedly stems from our daily trust in Him. We wake up each morning and know that He will guide us through the day. We trust each week that He can help us navigate the ups and downs we face. And with great confidence we can trust that He will see us through when trials come, and life seems to be crumbling. It may seem odd to those outside of Christ that we can have peace and joy that surpasses understanding. Yet we know that our entire faith is centered around our ability to know and trust that God has laid a plan for our lives that is bigger than our limited human perspective.
In my life I’ve dealt with the sudden loss of loved ones, employment ending unexpectedly, leaving a church after navigating problematic issues, and growing apart from close friends. Regardless of the details in these events they do not define me. Instead, they have only shown how much trusting God in these circumstances works for my benefit. I can trust that God has sent me through many fires to only emerge trusting Him more. I can have confidence that He knows better for my life than I do.
Do you continue to trust God through the big and small? Do you point yourself towards Christ as a first response when things seem bleak? Where in your life do you need to trust God to direct your steps more? How can you refocus on trusting Him today? When we practice trusting Him daily, we can face life’s battles with the assurance of His peace.
Kari Siders
Kari is the Membership Services Coordinator for the Association of Christian Librarians (ACL) in Cedarville, Ohio. She has been an ACL member since 2019.