What practical steps can we take to trust God in our darkest moments? Setting the Scene: Job’s Midnight “to the land of deepest night and utter darkness, the land of gloom like thick darkness, a land of deep shadow without order, where even the light is like darkness.” (Job 10:22) Job pictures a place where everything feels disordered, hopeless, lightless. From that bleak description we learn how to trust God when life looks the same. Step 1: Name the Darkness Honestly • Job refuses to pretend; he calls the place “utter darkness.” • Scripture invites the same honesty: “Pour out your hearts before Him” (Psalm 62:8). • Practical move: write or speak specific fears, losses, unanswered questions. Truthfulness with God is the doorway to trusting Him. Step 2: Anchor in God’s Character, Not the Circumstance • Lamentations 3:21-23—“His mercies never fail… great is Your faithfulness.” • Hebrews 13:8—“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” • Practical move: make a two-column list—left side “What I feel,” right side “Who God is.” Read the right column aloud daily. Step 3: Remember Past Faithfulness • Deuteronomy 8:2—God tells Israel to “remember all the way the LORD your God has led you.” • Psalm 77:11-12—Asaph chooses to recall “the deeds of the LORD.” • Practical move: keep a running record of answered prayers, providences, and small mercies; revisit it in the night seasons. Step 4: Speak Truth Aloud • Psalm 42:5—“Why, my soul, are you downcast?… Put your hope in God.” • Romans 10:17—“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” • Practical move: memorize a handful of promises (e.g., Isaiah 41:10; Romans 8:28) and verbalize them whenever despair whispers. Step 5: Remain in God’s People • Galatians 6:2—“Carry one another’s burdens.” • Hebrews 10:24-25—“Not neglecting to meet together… encouraging one another.” • Practical move: let trusted believers know your struggle; accept help, prayer, meals, counsel. Isolation magnifies darkness. Step 6: Keep Practicing Simple Obedience • John 14:15—“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” • Psalm 119:105—“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” • Practical move: even when feelings lag, continue daily Scripture intake, worship attendance, acts of service—small steps that say, “God, I still trust You.” Step 7: Look to Christ’s Darkness • Mark 15:33-34—Jesus entered literal noon-day darkness and cried, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” • Isaiah 53:11—“He will see the light of life and be satisfied.” • Hebrews 4:15-16—Because He knows our weakness, we “approach the throne of grace with confidence.” • Practical move: meditate on Christ’s suffering, realizing He understands and has conquered the deepest night. Step 8: Cultivate Expectant Hope • Romans 15:13—“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe.” • Revelation 21:4—A day is coming when “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.” • Practical move: visualize the promised future—resurrection, restored creation, eternal fellowship—and let that sure horizon steady today’s steps. Putting It All Together Trust grows when we: 1. Voice the darkness. 2. Fasten to God’s unchanging character. 3. Recall His past deeds. 4. Speak Scripture to our own souls. 5. Lean on believers. 6. Obey in daily, ordinary ways. 7. Fix our gaze on the crucified and risen Christ. 8. Live forward, confident of glory. Job’s night was real, yet God never left him. The same God stays with us, lighting the path—one obedient, hope-filled step at a time. |
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