It’s been a hard week. A really hard week. (And for the first time in a long time, not because of my husband’s health – he’s doing so well! Praise God and thank you for praying with us). In the mess and emotion of the week, I lost sight of God. I took my eyes off Him and locked eyes on my circumstances. I laid in bed, trying to pray and instead found my mind swirling with coulda, woulda, shoulda.
On Thursday, I walked into my son’s chapel presentation and saw five cards across the stage with big, bold, red letters: T-R-U-S-T. The theme was “Trusting God when it’s hard.”
Timely.
As his teacher introduced the theme, she said they were going to tell the story of Moses. Moses.
The first girl stepped up to the microphone and said these words:
“God promised Abraham that his descendants would become a large and mighty nation. God always keeps in promises.”
Timely again.
This week, Paul takes us back to Abraham in Romans 4 and how Abraham was called righteous because of his unwavering faith. In fact, verses 20-21 (our Fighting Words for the week) put it this way:
“No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.” Romans 4:20-21
I’ve read this passage often, and I’m embarrassed to admit that I’ve often misunderstood Abraham (see the video below for my revelation about this week). This time, studying it, I saw the grace in it. Abraham wasn’t perfect, but he trusted God when the situation seemed impossible, hopeless, confusing, and hard.
I watched these sweet kids share one-by-one how they trust God when it’s hard: in the dark, during spelling tests, during competitions, during math quizzes, when scared. I watched as they retold the story of Moses with conviction. I watched as they quoted scriptures, including my go-to verse for when I’m wavering in trust:
You will keep in perfect peace
those whose minds are steadfast,
because they trust in you.
Trust in the Lord forever,
for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.Isaiah 26:3-4 (NIV)
Then with tears welling in my eyes, I watched my son share his testimony about trusting God through his daddy’s sickness. God didn’t just work in my life or my husband’s life; He used the hard journey to draw my son closer to Himself as well.
I walked out of there with renewed strength. I asked myself “what are the promises God has given me? What am I fully convinced God will do because he promised?” Here’s the list I came up with:
I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)
I am not condemned (Romans 8:1-2)
I am covered by the blood of Jesus (Colossians 1:21-22)
He never leaves me or forsakes me (Deuteronomy 31:6,8; Hebrews 13:5)
He is working good in my life even when life isn’t good. (Romans 8:28)
He forgives me (Colossians 1:13-14)
He has made me part of a beloved family (Eph 2:19-21)
My worth is found in Him and He is conforming me to look more like Him (2 Corinthians 3:18)
I am alive in Christ, no longer dead in my sin (Colossians 2:13-14)
He made me a masterpiece and has a role only I can play for His Kingdom (Eph 2:10)
He gave me His armor to fight the devil (Ephesians 6:10-20)
One of the promises I’ve clung to these last couple years is found in Romans 5: that the suffering in our life will grow us – it will build endurance and deepen our character and lead us to hope. And not just any hope – a hope that doesn’t disappoint. [Spoiler Alert: the archaic definition of hope is trust and reliance].
My son’s class was able to tell the story of Moses because God kept His promise to Abraham. Was it hard? Yep. But the hard builds trust – a trust that our God is able to do what He promises.
Click Here to Watch This Week’s Video
Listen to the audio version here:
For this Week:
- Read Romans 5, focusing on Romans 5:1-11
- Gather with some girlfriends and talk about what you read.
- Discover: What three truths did you learn from this passage?
- Discuss: What does it mean to have “peace with God” (v1)? How do we have peace? What benefits does this peace provide?
- Share: How have you seen the hard places of life, the trials, the suffering, draw you closer to God and build endurance, character and trust in your life? How can we rejoice in this process?
- Memorize Romans 5:2
- Come back next week for Video 5.
Good stuff ladies! I love the comment made about asking God before taking things into our own hands and remembering His promises (as Abraham and Sarah tried to grow their family on their own). And also the question on thinking about what things we accept at face value that aren’t from Him. Thank you both for all the work you have put into this. It’s a blessing!