Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

Matthew 6:27 (NLT)

Have you ever faced a difficult situation or tragedy and thought—If only I had known this was going to happen? In that moment or in the days and weeks afterward, you might have felt that if you had known what was going to happen, you would have been better prepared to handle it.

I remember my father saying this a few months after he had to have his leg amputated because of diabetes. As someone used to being in control, I believe he felt that if he had known earlier, he would have been better physically, emotionally, and definitely financially prepared to handle life as an amputee. At the time, I remember agreeing that it would have been nice to know in advance and be better prepared.

But I later started to wonder what it would be like to know in advance that something bad was going to happen. Would we actually use that knowledge and take the days before it occurred to prepare ourselves for it?

Actually, in most cases, I believe that if we knew something bad was going to happen, we would spend most of our time worrying ourselves to death about it.

I can only imagine how the days between Jan. 2, 1994, and Aug. 11, 1994, would have felt if God had told me on Jan. 1, 1994, that I was going to have my accident. I might have tried to learn more about quadriplegia, but ultimately, every day would have been filled with growing dread and anxiety.

It is understandable that during difficult times, we wish we had the control that prior knowledge might have provided. It is frightening to face change without knowing what will happen next.

But, instead of futilely wishing we had only known, we can trust in the One who knows.

God is all, sees all, and knows all. Whether rain or shine, in darkness or daylight, over mountains or in valleys, he is beside us, guiding our path and holding our hand so we will never fall. His power is all-encompassing, and if we rest in his arms, we will be safe and secure.

This life may not always be easy, but when resting in his arms, it can be filled with peace and joy. There is no place better than the shelter of his grace.

Lord, when we can't understand why some things are happening in our lives, help us hold on to the knowledge that you love us and want your best for us. Help us to trust in your infinite wisdom and find peace in knowing that whatever is going on is part of your divine plan for our lives. Amen.

If you’re in a season of waiting and struggling to trust God’s timing, I’ve created three free resources to encourage you through the hard days: a 10-day devotional, 40 Scripture passages, and 12 Scripture-based prayers. Use the sign-up form at the very bottom of this page to receive all three. 

One of my favorite hymns is “In the Garden”. Whenever I hear the chorus, which says, “He walks with me and he talks with me and he tells me I am his own,” I feel such comfort and peace.

But, sometimes during our trials and tribulations, it is hard to believe that God is with us and we are his own. During such times, it is not always easy to feel God’s presence or hear his voice.

Yet, He is always there, walking with us and helping us bear our loads. He is always talking to us, giving us comfort to soothe our souls and guidance to find our way.

The problem is that we are not always in the right mindset to look for him beside us and hear his voice whispering. Our burdens become so heavy that we lose focus on The Great I Am.

But, no matter how hard it gets, we must keep looking and listening because he will keep walking and talking, and it is only with his help and guidance that we will make the hard journey to life's glorious end.

If you are experiencing a difficult time and struggle to feel God’s presence, read the following scriptures and keep them close to your heart. Each one demonstrates that, regardless of circumstances, God remains by our side, guiding and protecting us.

Yea, thou I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

 I will fear no evil; for thou art with me;

 Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.  Psalm 23:4 (KJV)

“Where can I go from Your Spirit?

Or where can I flee from Your presence?

If I ascend into heaven, You are there;

 If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.

If I take the wings of the morning,

 And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

Even there Your hand shall lead me,

 And Your right hand shall hold me.”  Psalm: 139:7–10 (NKJV)

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?⁶As it is written:

 “For Your sake we are killed all day long;

   We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:35 -39 (NKJV)