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PROGRAM D-7757
Are you at a place where you think you just can’t hold on any longer? That’s a tough place to be—I know; I’ve been there. I want to share three simple truths that will help you hold on when you think you can’t hold on any longer.
The first one is: Trust in God’s Sovereignty. That simply means that you continue to believe that nothing happens in God’s universe that is outside of God’s influence and authority. And you believe the same is true in your life. God is sovereign in your life. Therefore, you can trust that in his sovereignty, he will make all things work together for your good, even the evil and wrongs of others and the cruelty of this sin-infested world.
I know it’s not easy to trust when you’re on hold, especially when it looks like your world is crumbling around you. I think of a friend who went through years of pain and suffering from an unfaithful husband and a broken marriage, death of two children, another child who walked away from God, and other significant losses. Honestly, she was a Job-story for today, and I often wondered how she made it through.
Obviously all those things left deep scars and hurt, but she turned it into opportunity for her to minister to others. She completed a biblical counseling degree and now she has a voice to help others who are “on hold” because she has walked deep, dark roads. In God’s sovereignty and as only God can do, he turned her sorrow into dancing and has given her a broader, more effective ministry as a result.
Nothing gives us strength and confidence like an understanding of the sovereignty of God in our lives. But you can’t trust someone you don’t know. Getting to know God is the key to trusting that he is sovereign—he is in control. You have to know his attributes, know what he has done in the past, and this builds confidence in him.
Daniel 11:32b says, “The people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.” Knowing God better and better comes through his Word—spending significant time studying and reading the Bible. And we can rejoice in our God’s sovereignty, because he is a good God—merciful, kind, longsuffering, gracious.
So, if you can put your trust in God’s sovereignty today, regardless of your feelings, and simply repeat that you believe he is still in control, that is step one in holding on while you’re on hold.
And remember that your faith is not dependent on your feelings. In times of trouble and distress, our feelings are unreliable—they are up and down like a roller coaster. So, whether or not your feelings tell you that God is sovereign, he is and your faith can hold on even when your feelings are not cooperating.
