Trusting through Trials and Tragedies
Each year, for some reason, we buy into the belief that next year will be different. As December concludes, we have high hopes that a change in the calendar will end the struggles and hardships that we are facing. However, as the new year dawns, it usually doesn’t take long for such happy hopes to be dashed to pieces by the less-than-romantic reality before us.
For my family, the first blow came in February with the unexpected loss of my brother-in-law. One minute he was completing his normal duties at work, the next minute he was unexplainably unconscious on the floor, leaving behind my sister and two young children. Then, in July, my granny passed away. It wasn’t as unexpected, but the loss still hurts. It has been a recurring theme in my life this past year: Death deals his blows while I cower in the corner longing for Resurrection Day.
Hope When Love Hurts
God has ingrained in us a desire for authentic and meaningful relationships. It’s therefore no surprise that we find great joy in living life deeply with those in our family, church, and community. In these relationships we enjoy lots of laughs, make lots of memories, and always have a story to tell. No doubt, the deeper we love, the more we enjoy other people. But, there’s also a greater potential for pain. Losing someone we love dearly is heartbreaking. Traversing such painful times can often leave us desperately searching for hope and strength to sustain us.
As believers, we know our hope is always in the Lord, yet it’s sometimes difficult to feel it during a season of hardship. It’s often a battle to let the propositional truths we know to be true sink down into the depths of our heart and stir our affections. It’s a continual fight to soak in the hope-filled truths of our majestic God, who alone encourages and sustains us, yet Isaiah 40 is an encouraging chapter to remind us of the greatness of God.
The Majesty of God
Isaiah 40 clearly demonstrates God’s majesty. For example, it teaches us that God holds the waters of this world in the hollow of his hand (v. 12). Imagine all the waters of every ocean, river, stream, and pond being held in God’s hand! We’re told, too, that he names each star. We can’t even count the stars, but God knows them all by name. And, because he is great in power, not a single star goes missing (vv. 25–26).
If God so cares for the stars, how will he not much more care for his people.
In verse 27, God’s people ask two questions of him that most of us can relate to: Is my way hidden from God (does God see me)? Has my way been disregarded by God (has he abandoned me)? In the midst of hardship, we, too, might find ourselves asking these things of God. I am thankful for how these questions are answered in verses 28–31:
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
Does God See Me?
Most of us have probably asked this question at some point, whether we’re living in the midst of mundane monotony or ongoing pain. We may wonder if God is with us and why he isn’t working in a way we think he should. Does he not see how hard we are trying? Does he not see how our enemies surround us?
Isaiah reminds us that God is the everlasting God, the one who created everything. He never gets tired, never takes a nap, and never lets someone else run the universe while he goes on break. He’s God. His understanding is unsearchable. We might not understand, but he does. And yes, he knows exactly what we are going through.
He’s acutely aware of every pain you experience, every trial you face, and every memory you want to shed. He knows how you have been wronged and the lies that were told against you. Even when you wonder if he is there, the truth is God knows all that happens in his creation. He saw all you faced in 2022, and he’s already aware of all you will face in 2023. He sees. He knows. He cares.
Has God Abandoned Me?
If it’s true that God sees us, then why are we hurting? Has he abandoned us? Has he placed us in the midst of difficult circumstances only to leave us there to be overcome by our grief and sorrows?
In verse twenty-nine, we’re promised that God does not leave his people to struggle on our own. He gives power to the faint. To the one who lacks might, he gives strength. You might think you are not strong enough to face this on your own. You’re right. You are not strong enough, and neither am I.
However, there’s good news: God is bigger than anything we face, even in our darkest hour and deepest pain. Scripture does not tell us to look within ourselves for strength, but rather to look to the Lord. He has not left us alone. One of the most encouraging promises in Scripture is that he will never leave nor forsake his people (Heb. 13:5).
Wait on the Lord
Verse thirty-one tells us we can have our strength renewed, we can mount up with wings like eagles, and we can run without getting tired. What great truths! So, how do we obtain such great strength?
By waiting on the Lord.
We wait on God by living in confident anticipation of his mercy and strength. It’s a hopeful waiting; it’s an active and expectant waiting. We wait on the Lord by drawing near to him for strength. Sometimes, in dark and difficult moments, it’s the grace and mercy of God just to get out of bed. Thankfully, he provides exactly what we need for each moment of each day.
Believer, no matter what hardship you may be experiencing, wait on the Lord today. When you feel strong, know that you’re only truly strong when you’re depending on his strength. But, if you feel weak, be encouraged that strength comes from God, who is a very present help in times of struggle (Ps. 46:1). Wait on him today with hopeful expectation. He doesn’t promise to remove our pain or provide a “quick fix,” but he does promise to provide the strength and hope we need to endure it. He can handle our grief and sorrows, and as we look to him, he provides abundant grace.
If God can hold all the waters of the earth in the hollow of his hand, if he can move the mighty mountain ranges on a scale like a toy to weigh them, then he is certainly able to help us through our trials. So as we begin this new year and face whatever trials may lie ahead, let’s wait confidently on the Lord. His strength alone can carry us on wings like eagles through every storm.
James Williams serves as Associate Pastor at FBC Atlanta, Texas, and as a GCD staff writer. He and his wife, Jenny, are blessed with four children and are actively involved in foster care. He is passionate about beholding the beauty of our Lord and helping others do the same. He enjoys writing, running, and gardening. You can follow James on Twitter or his blog where he writes regularly.