I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me. I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul.
What I had to do was to decide if I would trust Him, even when my heart ached. We must learn to obey God one choice at a time; we must also learn to trust God one circumstance at a time. Trusting God is not a matter of my feelings but of my will. I never feel like trusting God when adversity strikes, but I can choose to do so even when I don’t feel like it. That act of the will, though, must be based on belief, and belief must be based on truth.
Jerry Bridges
Isn’t it a wonderful and truly amazing truth that God never leaves us to fight life’s battles on our own? He covenants with us to never stop doing good to us (he never leaves us); he inspires us to fear him (as in we are in awe of who he is); and he rejoices in doing good to us (he takes even the worst that happens in this life and transforms it).
God’s Promises Never Fail
Yes, God promises good to us even when our circumstances and our emotions are screaming the opposite. And yes, sometimes it is difficult to see past the present suffering and view our trials through an eternal lens. But we must learn to trust him as Jerry Bridges notes, “Trusting God is not a matter of my feelings but of my will. I never feel like trusting God when adversity strikes, but I can choose to do so even when I don’t feel like it.”
Courage Is Living Faith
When we choose to fully trust God despite the pain and suffering we are facing, we then begin to reap the benefits of that obedience. God strengthens our faith, enlarges our vision, and pours out his grace upon us to respond in faith and in confidence in God’s ability (and willingness) to supply our every need.
The Bible Is Alive With Power
As we can discover in every battle and every time we start to grow fearful and we stop ourselves short by reciting bible verses out loud, God becomes bigger and our fears, worries, and anxieties grow smaller. We can recognize it is a moment by moment decision to give way to our fear and trembling or to choose to trust God even when the outcome is uncertain. And that life-defining choice is exactly what we are encouraged to do and to encourage others hurting individuals to do as well.
Take-away Action Thought
When I feel afraid, I will exercise my will and trust God. I will go directly to Scripture and begin speaking God’s comforting promises of perfect provision out loud. Then I’ll begin giving thanks for the grace and strength I am confident God will send moment by moment.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In