Difficult times in life often present us with choices. A yes or no. Go or stay . Walk away or move closer. Act or wait. This or that. Right or wrong. These moments can change our whole lives. Choose carefully. Is this more than it appears? Is it a test of your faith? What would God want you to do? When you are in a tough situation, do you pray to the one who can help you?

Once, after having a great day, Bam! I got hit with some information that knocked me for a loop. I thought my world was going to come crashing down. An emotional and fearful storm raged painfully in my heart for hours. I started praying desperately. Not surprisingly, God worked it all out that day and even more over the next few months and it became a defining moment, a turning point. It needed to happen. If it hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t be where I am now. God helps us move along in our faith journey, but we have to trust Him.

I’ve noticed that some Christians don’t like to talk about God bringing trials and tests into our lives. It’s a tough topic. If you don’t understand why trials are important, or that they are necessary, you might think God is being mean. Or it can seem like we are blaming God for evil things, but the reality is that evil exists apart from God. God doesn’t have to create evil. It is constantly seeking us out!

God sometimes protects us from evil, but sometimes he allows it to affect us and waits to see how we will react to it. And sometimes we eagerly bring it into our lives through our own sin or carelessness.

Will we cry out for God’s help or seek other avenues? Doesn’t God love us?

Why can’t God just trust that we have faith in Him? Do we trust other people when they make unproven claims? Why doesn’t he just give us an easy life? We said we believe! Let the peace and blessings flow! But then Jesus talked a lot about being persecuted and hated if we choose to follow Him. The disciples of old rejoiced when they were persecuted for Jesus’ sake! Had they figured out that these trials were giving them supernatural strength and for God’s glory?

People learn things best by experience. And truly believing in things you can’t see, which is the real definition of faith, is not easy.

I’m sure you can think of many times when you were in a tight situation with no help in sight. I sure can! All I could do was pray and I did. And I am alive to give God the glory! He has rescued me so many times from my own sin and from the sins of others, including the original sin that broke the perfect world He created.

You rarely get your faith tested when you are feeling strong and confident! And people rarely change until they have to.

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It’s easy to say that you believe. But it’s only in tough times such as in a hospital bed, a jail cell, an abusive relationship, a painful illness, a long lonely period, on stage, when everyone disagrees with you over truth, or when you feel ashamed of your own actions, any place where you feel vulnerable and unable to help yourself that you will find out if you really believe in an invisible, supernatural force we call God.

Jesus was sent to the wilderness to be tested, and if God thought it was necessary to allow Jesus’ faith to be tested, then God will allow all of his children to be tested. This is for our good. We must know for ourselves that God is real and that He is willing and able to help us. We learn this by experiencing it!

God’s ways are higher than our ways. God is good and I can trust that He has a good plan. Being tested is never easy or fun, but it is for our good and can help us to become more like Jesus. Our heavenly Father is never mean or vindictive to his children. If you have put your faith in Him, don’t shrink back in times of testing. Cry out to Him for help and you will find that He is there with you in the trial.

Dear God, I pray that those reading this will trust you even when things look impossible. Please give us your comfort and peace and show us that you are with us. Let your Holy Spirit fill us with peace in times of trials, testing, and troubles. Help us to make choices based on faith. We know that you are good and that you love us. Thank you for loving us and sending your son Jesus Christ to take the punishment we deserved for our sins and thank you for all of the ways that you show yourself faithful in our lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen

Edit: Thanks to C.A. for the reminder of Corrie Ten Boom. This video gave me chills. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S56B2zNAkek