”KEEPING YOUR FAITH DURING DIFFICULT TIMES”
By Peter Kayongo
Dear brethren, To have faith in God during the hard times, we have to be rooted in God. We have to know Him before we will trust Him and His plans. We serve a good God who doesn’t seek to cause us harm fellow brethren. While His ways aren’t our ways, they are better and higher than we can comprehend. Having deep roots will allow Him to hold onto us, even when everything else is trying to pull us apart.
Scriptures say,”The man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence indeed is the Lord, is blessed. He will be like a tree planted by water: it sends its roots out toward a stream, it doesn’t fear when heat comes, and its foliage remains green” (Jer. 17:7-8).
Our God is our refuge and our strength and He’s always with us, helping us (Psalm 46:1).
If you could ask yourself wherever you are my dear sister or brother, Why do Christians struggle to keep faith in God especially when Jesus is their Lord and Savior? The answer most often is afflictions. When facing desperate times, we turn back to God after leaving His embrace temporarily.
Living your Christian faith isn’t easy because evil is alive and well and usually captures you when life is good. What Christian hasn’t said, “I’ve got this” only to wander off course away from God when adversity strikes.
That’s what happened to King David, a man after God’s heart (I Samuel 13:14). He was on the wrong side of faith many times. Still, he remained devoted to God throughout his lifetime.
I would wish each of us here to make King David in the Bible as our personal faith hero regardless of the blunders he made during his lifetime as a king. Sure, David slept with Bathsheba, another man’s wife. Rather than lounge about at the palace, he should have joined his men in battle. Yes, he messed up again by arranging to have Bathsheba’s husband killed. But eventually, David got back on track with God.
Another time in his life, Saul persecuted David’s every step in an attempt to assassinate him before he ever reigned as king over Israel. In I Samuel 19-24, David sought God’s counsel on what to do. He remained close to God and kept his heart tender. David had several opportunities to kill Saul but didn’t.
Many people believe David wrote Psalms such as 7, 27, 31, and 34 when running away from Saul and his men. The following phrases reflect how David kept faith in God during hard times.
Words to Live By
Psalm 7: “In you I take refuge. God is my shield who saves the upright in heart. I will give the Lord the thanks due to His righteousness.”
Psalm 27: “The Lord is my light and salvation. The Lord is the stronghold of my life. Though an army encamps around me, my heart shall not fear. He will hide me in His shelter. He will set me high upon a rock. I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy. I will sing and make melody to the Lord. Your face Lord do I seek. If my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me up. Wait for the Lord, be strong, and let your heart take courage.”
Psalm 31: “In you Lord, I seek refuge. You are my rock and fortress. Into your hand, I commit my spirit. I trust in You, My God. O how abundant is your goodness that You have laid up for those who fear You. You heard my supplications when I cried out to You. The Lord preserves the faithful.”
Psalm 34: “I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall be continually in my mouth. Look to Him and be radiant. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him and delivers them. Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous. When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and rescues them from all their troubles.”
Other Ways to Keep Faith in God
Many times Christians are mad at God when life beats them up little by little. Trials and temptations pound away at faith lessening God’s importance. Then like David, these prodigal sons and daughters find their way home to God.
It’s easy fellow believers during dark times to listen to other voices when there’s no visible light shining on your life. That’s when choosing God as your anchor keeps struggles from overtaking you. As noted above, David kept his faith intact by writing heartfelt songs to God. You can do that too my dear friend or post encouraging scripture in prominent places (your bathroom mirror, refrigerator, or a bulletin board).
Cultivate faith in good soil by staying close to people who love you. Start each day reading the Bible, play praise music, or download a Christian app to listen to encouraging devotionals and meditative scripture.
God’s Word is active and alive and the means by which faith grows. It’s comforting to know that Jesus’ disciples asked Him to increase their faith (See Luke 17:5-10). Even the people closest to Him struggled with faith.
Jesus slept as a storm raged while He and the disciples crossed a sea.
His disciples panicked, woke up Jesus, and asked, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
Really? Jesus, the Son of God, is in their boat. Yet, they are beside themselves. Faith and hope disappear. He’s the same one they saw multiply bread and fish, heal uncurable diseases, and raise people from the dead. Jesus asks them a probing, obvious question, “Have you no faith?”
We all face adverse events and situations in life. You might be going through a season of hardships in your life at this time. This could be job loss, finances, sickness, loss of a loved one, relationship with a troubled child, or even divorce. But whatever the challenge is, you can have the determination to see things through as you find your strength in God.
In conclusion, How can we hold on to our faith in God when things go wrong? As Christians, We all need to know that We’re supposed to "give thanks in all things" and look to the Lord for our daily needs. Yet We’ve been through some devastating experiences over the past year. How can we be thankful and trust God at a time like this?
God hasn’t promised us a rose garden fellow believers.Not in this present world, anyhow. That misguided idea has no place in the message of the Christian gospel. When life seems full of pain, we need to remember what Paul said to Timothy about “enduring hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 2:3). We should also bear in mind a couple of very broad principles that are fundamental to the biblical worldview.
First, we must never forget that we live in a fallen world. If things go wrong and trials beset us, this isn’t a reflection on the power and genuineness of God’s love. Nor does it necessarily imply that we have sinned against Him or displeased Him. It simply means that the world isn’t what it’s supposed to be.
Genesis 3 tells the story of mankind’s fall from grace. This fall marred the original design of God’s creation in many ways. It separated us from our Creator and our true nature. It caused us to rebel against Him and engage in denial and self-deception. It affected our physical bodies, bringing sickness and death into the world. It threw a wrench into our relationships with one another. It introduced pain and suffering into our lives. Because of this the world in which we live today is not the world as God intended it to be. It is, in a very real sense, a defective and abnormal world.
The Good News is that the Lord is not content to leave us there. This is the second thing we need to bear in mind as believers.Our Father in Heaven has a plan to fix the brokenness of the world and heal the pain in our personal lives. He loved us enough to send Jesus Christ, His only Son (John 3:16), to reverse the effects of the fall. Christ has come to reconcile us to God, to each other, and to our true human nature.
Of course, the Bible never gives us any reason to suppose that these changes are going to take place overnight. On the contrary, it states very clearly that while we live in the flesh, we can expect to experience “groanings” within ourselves as we look forward to the final “redemption of our body” (Romans 8:23). Ultimately, a day is coming when there will be no more sickness, pain, or death, and when He will wipe away every tear from our eyes (Revelation 21:4). Meanwhile, there’s nothing wrong with being honest about our pain and frustration.
The men and women of the Bible understood this. David poured out his heart to God in the Psalms as we’ve seen above. Job expressed deep anguish in the midst of incredible grief and suffering. Hannah complained loudly about her childlessness. If you’re hurting, the Lord doesn’t expect you to cover it up with a plastic smile my dear friend. Tell Him what you’re really thinking and feeling. He has promised never to leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). He hears your prayers even in the dark times when He seems absent and silent.
Be blessed!
Peter kayongo
+256772425596
By Peter Kayongo
Dear brethren, To have faith in God during the hard times, we have to be rooted in God. We have to know Him before we will trust Him and His plans. We serve a good God who doesn’t seek to cause us harm fellow brethren. While His ways aren’t our ways, they are better and higher than we can comprehend. Having deep roots will allow Him to hold onto us, even when everything else is trying to pull us apart.
Scriptures say,”The man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence indeed is the Lord, is blessed. He will be like a tree planted by water: it sends its roots out toward a stream, it doesn’t fear when heat comes, and its foliage remains green” (Jer. 17:7-8).
Our God is our refuge and our strength and He’s always with us, helping us (Psalm 46:1).
If you could ask yourself wherever you are my dear sister or brother, Why do Christians struggle to keep faith in God especially when Jesus is their Lord and Savior? The answer most often is afflictions. When facing desperate times, we turn back to God after leaving His embrace temporarily.
Living your Christian faith isn’t easy because evil is alive and well and usually captures you when life is good. What Christian hasn’t said, “I’ve got this” only to wander off course away from God when adversity strikes.
That’s what happened to King David, a man after God’s heart (I Samuel 13:14). He was on the wrong side of faith many times. Still, he remained devoted to God throughout his lifetime.
I would wish each of us here to make King David in the Bible as our personal faith hero regardless of the blunders he made during his lifetime as a king. Sure, David slept with Bathsheba, another man’s wife. Rather than lounge about at the palace, he should have joined his men in battle. Yes, he messed up again by arranging to have Bathsheba’s husband killed. But eventually, David got back on track with God.
Another time in his life, Saul persecuted David’s every step in an attempt to assassinate him before he ever reigned as king over Israel. In I Samuel 19-24, David sought God’s counsel on what to do. He remained close to God and kept his heart tender. David had several opportunities to kill Saul but didn’t.
Many people believe David wrote Psalms such as 7, 27, 31, and 34 when running away from Saul and his men. The following phrases reflect how David kept faith in God during hard times.
Words to Live By
Psalm 7: “In you I take refuge. God is my shield who saves the upright in heart. I will give the Lord the thanks due to His righteousness.”
Psalm 27: “The Lord is my light and salvation. The Lord is the stronghold of my life. Though an army encamps around me, my heart shall not fear. He will hide me in His shelter. He will set me high upon a rock. I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy. I will sing and make melody to the Lord. Your face Lord do I seek. If my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me up. Wait for the Lord, be strong, and let your heart take courage.”
Psalm 31: “In you Lord, I seek refuge. You are my rock and fortress. Into your hand, I commit my spirit. I trust in You, My God. O how abundant is your goodness that You have laid up for those who fear You. You heard my supplications when I cried out to You. The Lord preserves the faithful.”
Psalm 34: “I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall be continually in my mouth. Look to Him and be radiant. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him and delivers them. Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous. When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and rescues them from all their troubles.”
Other Ways to Keep Faith in God
Many times Christians are mad at God when life beats them up little by little. Trials and temptations pound away at faith lessening God’s importance. Then like David, these prodigal sons and daughters find their way home to God.
It’s easy fellow believers during dark times to listen to other voices when there’s no visible light shining on your life. That’s when choosing God as your anchor keeps struggles from overtaking you. As noted above, David kept his faith intact by writing heartfelt songs to God. You can do that too my dear friend or post encouraging scripture in prominent places (your bathroom mirror, refrigerator, or a bulletin board).
Cultivate faith in good soil by staying close to people who love you. Start each day reading the Bible, play praise music, or download a Christian app to listen to encouraging devotionals and meditative scripture.
God’s Word is active and alive and the means by which faith grows. It’s comforting to know that Jesus’ disciples asked Him to increase their faith (See Luke 17:5-10). Even the people closest to Him struggled with faith.
Jesus slept as a storm raged while He and the disciples crossed a sea.
His disciples panicked, woke up Jesus, and asked, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
Really? Jesus, the Son of God, is in their boat. Yet, they are beside themselves. Faith and hope disappear. He’s the same one they saw multiply bread and fish, heal uncurable diseases, and raise people from the dead. Jesus asks them a probing, obvious question, “Have you no faith?”
We all face adverse events and situations in life. You might be going through a season of hardships in your life at this time. This could be job loss, finances, sickness, loss of a loved one, relationship with a troubled child, or even divorce. But whatever the challenge is, you can have the determination to see things through as you find your strength in God.
In conclusion, How can we hold on to our faith in God when things go wrong? As Christians, We all need to know that We’re supposed to "give thanks in all things" and look to the Lord for our daily needs. Yet We’ve been through some devastating experiences over the past year. How can we be thankful and trust God at a time like this?
God hasn’t promised us a rose garden fellow believers.Not in this present world, anyhow. That misguided idea has no place in the message of the Christian gospel. When life seems full of pain, we need to remember what Paul said to Timothy about “enduring hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 2:3). We should also bear in mind a couple of very broad principles that are fundamental to the biblical worldview.
First, we must never forget that we live in a fallen world. If things go wrong and trials beset us, this isn’t a reflection on the power and genuineness of God’s love. Nor does it necessarily imply that we have sinned against Him or displeased Him. It simply means that the world isn’t what it’s supposed to be.
Genesis 3 tells the story of mankind’s fall from grace. This fall marred the original design of God’s creation in many ways. It separated us from our Creator and our true nature. It caused us to rebel against Him and engage in denial and self-deception. It affected our physical bodies, bringing sickness and death into the world. It threw a wrench into our relationships with one another. It introduced pain and suffering into our lives. Because of this the world in which we live today is not the world as God intended it to be. It is, in a very real sense, a defective and abnormal world.
The Good News is that the Lord is not content to leave us there. This is the second thing we need to bear in mind as believers.Our Father in Heaven has a plan to fix the brokenness of the world and heal the pain in our personal lives. He loved us enough to send Jesus Christ, His only Son (John 3:16), to reverse the effects of the fall. Christ has come to reconcile us to God, to each other, and to our true human nature.
Of course, the Bible never gives us any reason to suppose that these changes are going to take place overnight. On the contrary, it states very clearly that while we live in the flesh, we can expect to experience “groanings” within ourselves as we look forward to the final “redemption of our body” (Romans 8:23). Ultimately, a day is coming when there will be no more sickness, pain, or death, and when He will wipe away every tear from our eyes (Revelation 21:4). Meanwhile, there’s nothing wrong with being honest about our pain and frustration.
The men and women of the Bible understood this. David poured out his heart to God in the Psalms as we’ve seen above. Job expressed deep anguish in the midst of incredible grief and suffering. Hannah complained loudly about her childlessness. If you’re hurting, the Lord doesn’t expect you to cover it up with a plastic smile my dear friend. Tell Him what you’re really thinking and feeling. He has promised never to leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). He hears your prayers even in the dark times when He seems absent and silent.
Be blessed!
Peter kayongo
+256772425596