Life is unpredictable. Even with the best plans and intentions, no one can predict for sure what will come their way in life.
In December 2019, no one planned New Year's resolutions with COVID-19 in mind. Most of us had never heard of it. Life threw a big curveball.
When unexpected times come, everyone needs to be reminded that God is good, in control and trustworthy even if everything seems out of control. Below is a list of 21 reminders of that truth.
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Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6, New International Version)
This is one of the most comforting verses to cling to when you are facing uncertainty or difficulty in your life. Your situation or the situation around you may be beyond your understanding, but it is not beyond God’s.
God knows what is going on — all the hows, whens and whys. When you do not know what to do or what will happen next, trust that He does. Follow God’s guidelines and commands knowing that as you practice obedience, He is working out the rest. “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise Him” (Psalm 28:7, NIV).
God sees everything that happens to you. He knows all He has protected you from. He is your source of protection. You do not need to give in to fear. It is not easy, but you can be free to be joyful and praise Him with gratefulness for this truth, even when things are difficult.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8, English Standard Version)
Jesus never changes. Neither does His power or His promises. He was with God in the beginning of time. He is the same Christ today who transformed lives and performed miracles in the Bible. You can trust Him because the promises He made to His people throughout the Bible are the same promises He makes to you today.
He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD. (Psalm 112:7, ESV)
The writer of this psalm says that the confidence of people who follow God is based on the character of God, not the circumstances He allows them to experience.
When you fear the unknowns in your life, you can look to the One who is all-powerful and knows all things. God is never worried. He can give you strength and steadiness to face whatever is ahead when your faith is in Him.
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Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9, ESV)
This verse appears at a crucial moment in the history of God’s people. Having spent 40 years living in the wilderness, they are about to enter the land God Has promised to them, but they expect to face a fierce fight for that land.
God is always with you no matter what you face. He does not command you to be courageous in your own strength. Take courage in the knowledge of His presence and power with you.
Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will act. (Psalm 37:5, ESV)
You may not understand the difficult or uncertain situation you find yourself in, but God does. His track record in your life and in the Bible is one of faithfulness. If you give your life to Him, you can rest assured that He will keep up His end of the bargain. God cannot lie, so when He says that He will act on your behalf, you can believe Him.
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10, NIV).
God is with you and able to give you strength no matter what you go through. He does not promise that you will not face difficulties or fear. He does promise that He is there and able to get you through it.
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For the word of the LORD is right and true; He is faithful in all He does. (Psalm 33:4, NIV)
The Bible recounts the times throughout history when God has shown Himself to be loving and trustworthy. Even in your suffering, He never fails. You can put your trust in His promises because He has succeeded and kept His word in all that He has ever set out to do.
“I am the good shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me.” (John 10:14, ESV)
A shepherd guides and looks after the sheep in his care. Jesus, the Son of God, is the Good Shepherd, and His followers are His sheep. There is only one God of the Universe who made you, knows what you need and calls you His own.
Jesus is a good shepherd. He’s 100 percent trustworthy. He always knows what’s best for you, even if it’s not easy. To follow Him, you need to know Him and listen for Him. As you get to know Him through prayer, reading the Bible and being in community with other followers of Jesus, you will be able to distinguish His good voice from other voices.
We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28, NIV)
God cares about and has a plan for your life. His will is for you to know Him through a relationship with Jesus and to love Him and others as you grow to be more like Jesus. He promises that no matter what wonderful or terrible things come your way, He will work all of them out to make you more like Christ and establish your place in His kingdom. He can restore anything broken. He is always at work on behalf of those who love Him.
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“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (Matthew 6:26-27, NIV)
God cares for His creation. He cares for animals and plants (see v. 30), but this verse tells us that He is especially concerned with providing us with what we need. Worrying about your needs is not the answer to meeting them. Trusting in a God who cares about the details of your life is the better strategy.
Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge. (Psalm 62:8, NIV)
A refuge is a safe place to run to — a place of safety amid chaos. God says you can trust Him and put everything in His hands because He is powerful, reliable and constant. You can run to Him for security and protection instead of running to things or to other people. He will never fail you.
If you know God personally, no worldly harm you may suffer can keep you from coming safely into His arms in His kingdom.
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me.” (John 14:1, NIV)
Jesus said this to his followers just after He finished telling them something unexpected. They were taken off guard and worried. But Jesus reminded them of who He is. He reminded and encouraged them that their hearts did not have to be anxious or troubled because they could believe in Him and His promises, just like they believed in God’s.
Nothing He said ever let them down. He is God in the flesh. All that He does comes directly from God. He has proven Himself trustworthy by the testimony of His life and the testimony of His Father.
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This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. (1 John 5:14, NIV)
Trust in God will increase your confidence in approaching Him. He has always been faithful. This verse follows the reassurance that if you believe what God says is true and you put your trust in Jesus, you have eternal life. That promise is where your confidence and trust come from.
God’s will for you is to know Him through a relationship with Jesus and to love Him and others as you grow to be more like Jesus. If you are confident that you are His because of a relationship with God through Christ, you can trust that He hears your prayers and provides for you in ways that fulfill His will.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. (Psalm 20:7, NIV)
In this passage, the author remembers all the Lord has done for His people. He was present in the joyful times and when the enemy was near. He kept them from harm and delivered them from captivity. The Lord is trustworthy because He is always present.
There is no need to trust in anything but God — not in any of the other things that can give the illusion of security, like powerful people, jobs, health and so on. You can trust in God. He is unchanging and unfailing.
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD Himself, is the Rock eternal.” (Isaiah 26:3-4, NIV)
To be “steadfast” is to be firm and unwavering. If you keep your mind steadfastly on the Lord, you can have peace in knowing He is in control. He is a steady rock. He does not change or falter. You can have peace in knowing you are cared for by a trustworthy God.
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When I am afraid, I put my trust in You. (Psalm 56:3, NIV)
As David, the king of Israel who wrote many of the Psalms, faced the threat of captivity by his enemies, he wrote that all his trust was in God. He was surrounded by people who wanted to harm him. Instead of giving in to fear, he cried out to the Lord, trusting Him to be in control of the situation.
You may not be surrounded by an army wanting to harm you, but there will be times when you are afraid. It’s human. The Bible says more than 300 times to not be afraid. God knows you need that reminder. Yet just like David, when you are afraid, you can go to God. You can admit your fear to Him. Trust that He will care for you. He does not let His people down.
Many are the woes of the wicked, but the LORD’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in Him. (Psalm 32:10, NIV)
The beginning of this psalm paints a picture of those who love God confessing their sin to Him. David was no stranger to sin and mistakes. David took another man’s wife as his own. Then he had the woman’s husband killed in battle. In this psalm, He remembers what it was like to come to God for forgiveness and be restored. David remembered the unfailing love of God — even when he messed up.
You can trust in God because He does not treat you as your sins deserve. Instead, he offers forgiveness and eternal life through Christ Jesus.
It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in humans. (Psalm 118:8, NIV)
God’s people, Israel, tried to protect themselves through relationships with other nations instead of trusting in God. They made alliances with other, bigger nations whom they thought would defend them, even though God had promised His protection. Israel learned it is always better to trust God than to look to anything else. All others are less powerful, less consistent and less loving than God.
It is better to run to Him for protection and guidance than to look to others, even those who seem powerful. Humans are not perfect. Everyone will eventually let you down. God never will.
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And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. (1 John 5:11, NIV)
The confidence you have is in what Jesus did on the cross. Your sin required death. It required a sacrifice. Instead of you dying, Christ took that on Himself. He paid for your sins. Your faith is in who Jesus is and what He’s done, not in anything you have or will do.
Putting your faith in Jesus does not require a list of good deeds to earn good standing with God. You could never achieve what it takes to be in God’s presence. So a perfect, sinless Savior did what you could not. You can trust in this salvation because it is dependent on something Jesus has already accomplished.
“Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him. (Jeremiah 17:7, NIV)
The verses before this one describe what it is like for those who trust in people. The result is not prosperity but difficulty. Humans are prone to mistakes and failures, just like you. A human is an unstable being to put your trust in.
With God, you can have confidence in His trustworthiness. He has never let you down, even if it felt like it for a time. He has been faithful and consistent since before time began. He is worthy of confidence because He has never made a mistake. He has never lost sight of His plan for you.
The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (2 Timothy 4:18, NIV)
Paul was the author of this verse. In this letter, this follower of Jesus was telling his young apprentice about one of the numerous hardships that he was going through. But Paul knew no matter what torture, imprisonment or harassment he might face, the Lord was on his side. The Lord would help him face every circumstance.
Paul put his trust in God when the world let him down. He knew that in difficulty he could look to the promise of heaven because he trusted in Jesus. He did not have to get worried because of the difficult things he went through. Neither do you. God cares about how you have been wronged. He will take care of you in those times. Do not let them distract you. Keep your eyes on Him.
Life is full of the unexpected, good and bad. God is trustworthy in all situations. His Word is a way for Him to communicate all He desires for you to navigate life. Explore His promises through His Word.
These verses are a great place to start. But the truth of God’s Word becomes much richer when you study it in context. Take these verses and go back to the Bible. Read the chapters they are found in for deeper insight. Read this article for tips on studying the Bible.
Learn more about trusting God in difficult situations.
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