When hard times happen, where do you run? What do you go to? Do you cling to former addictions or things that may satisfy you for the present time but will fail to make you feel better?
I don’t know what battles you are facing, or what storm the Lord is asking you to walk through, but I do know that the Lord is here with you in the moment and along side of you fighting your battles with you and holding your hand through the darkest storms. But don’t take my word for it. Look at all the promises the Lord has left for you in His word.
1. Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
God is commanding us to be strong and courageous and to not fear. He is not commanding this because the thing we are facing is not scary, but because He is with us even in the midst of it. In this verse, He gives us the commandment to not be fearful, but also gives us the promise that He will be with us which is why we do not need to fear.
2. Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
The world can be so heartbreaking at times. I think the most common heartbreak stems from broken relationships, whether that be in friendship, dating, or a family relation. Those heartbreaks hurt so bad because it came from the very people who were supposed to protect our heart, not hurt it. But people aren’t perfect, they will fail us. Even those we love and who love us will fail us, but in those times of pain, God is near. He doesn’t see your pain from far away. He sees it close up because He is holding our broken heart in the palm of His hands.3. Ecclesiastes 3:11 “He has made everything beautiful in its time.”
This is one of my favorite verses. I just love everything about it. While all the other verses I will share with you will have to do with being strong in the Lord and allowing Him to comfort you, I chose to share this one because it is a verse that just glimmers with hope. I could write an entire article breaking down each part of the verse, but for now, just focus on the promise that He will make everything beautiful in His perfect timing.
4. Isaiah 43:2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.”
I just absolutely love this verse and the picture that it paints for us. Choose your element, but when you go through hard times, and I mean times so hard that they feel suffocating, it feels like you are either drowning in deep waters or walking through fire. Whatever element of the earth you choose to describe your trial, God is going to be with you and will not let anything happen to you. I love that this verse doesn’t say God isn’t going to allow you to go through deep waters or walk through fire, but He says He will not allow it to harm you. This is so important for us to understand. God never promised a life without trouble or pain, but He promises to keep us safe and protect us through whatever life may throw at us.
5. 1 Peter 5:7 “casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”
I think sometimes we can get caught up in our own problems and trying to fix them that I think we can so easily forget that the Lord Himself cares about us. He loves us so much. His love for us is so great that His heart breaks even more than ours does when we are in pain. He wants to carry our burdens, let Him.These are just a few verses that I have written down that have helped me whenever life brought me to my knees. Even though these are only but five verses, they are powerful because they are promises that the Lord gave to us. He will fight for you. You can be fearless because of Him. He will keep you safe and watch over you. Whatever is going on in your life, I hope that you will cry out to the Lord and allow Him to do His job in watching over you and protecting you.
