If you live long enough, life will bring you bad news. It may be the loss of a loved one, your health, your income, your marriage, your reputation, etc. The psalmist wrote, ‘When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.’ When bad times come, you need to hold on to everything you know about who God is. You must remind yourself that He is loving, caring, and worthy of your complete trust. Sometimes God will give you the answer; other times He will give you the assurance of His presence. In changing times, you must lay hold of the unchanging character of God. As the hymn says, ‘When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay.’ Does that mean denying your feelings and emotions? No. David said, ‘I pour out my complaints before him and tell him all my troubles’ (Psalm 142:2 NLT). God is not asking you to deny the pain, the loss, and the reality of your circumstances. Even Jesus offered up prayers with ‘fervent cries and tears’ (Hebrews 5:7 NIV). If you don’t pour out your heart before God, you risk hardening your heart towards Him. Saint Augustine said, ‘For they are very deep in the deep, who do not even cry from the deep.’ It’s when you hit the bottom and turn to God that you discover He is there. It’s by being shaken to the core that you develop an unshakable faith in God. When that happens, you can stand on His Word which says, ‘I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go’ (Genesis 28:15 NIV).
