Are you going through a difficult season of life right now? Are you feeling yourself grow weary? Find encouragement in knowing that the Lord sees you, hears your prayers and is walking alongside you. Even though it may feel like you can’t see Him through the haze of the stressful situation that you may face, know that His eyes and His hands are on you. This is for the girl going through a difficult season. God is with you.
Can the Lord use a difficult season in your life for your good? Absolutely! He does not cause us to be grieved, stressed, or in pain but He certainly can use what the enemy meant for evil and turn it around for good and for His glory!
Jeremiah 29:11, one of my favourite verses, says that He has good plans for us. Plans to prosper us and not to harm us. You may feel like you are in a hard season where you are feeling stretched to wit’s end, but know that He has His hand on your life. He will use that difficult season to strengthen you.
As I was journaling in my quiet time with the Lord, He showed me a few things about what we gain from going through difficult seasons that I’d like to share with you.
There are 3 ways that God Can Use a Hard Season in Your Life for Your Good:
- To build our patience & steadfastness
- To build our trust in Him
- To build our faith in Him
He Uses the Hard Seasons to Build Our Patience & Steadfastness
In the middle of the situation that you are facing, the last thing that you want to say to God is “Lord give me patience to wait this out”. If you are anything like me you are probably saying something more like “Lord, I don’t know how or if I can handle this. PLEASE help me!”.
Sometimes we think we know what we need God to do. We try to tell Him what we think we need. This can be frustrating when your prayers don’t seem to be answered the way you want them to be.
The Amplified Version of James 1:12 says “Blessed [happy, spiritually prosperous, favored by God] is the man who is steadfast under trial and perseveres when tempted; for when he has passed the test and been approved, he will receive the [victor’s] crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”
Romans 5:3-5 reads “And not only this, but [with joy] let us exult in our sufferings and rejoice in our hardships, knowing that hardship (distress, pressure, trouble) produces patient endurance; and endurance, proven character (spiritual maturity); and proven character, hope and confident assurance [of eternal salvation]. Such hope [in God’s promises] never disappoints us, because God’s love has been abundantly poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
When we stand strong and persevere through difficult seasons and believe that God has His hands on our situation it builds our patience and steadfastness. It also builds a strong character and reinforces the belief that the hardships that we face in this life are little compared to the eternal life that the Lord has promised.
He Uses the Hard Seasons to Build Our Trust in Him
This is a tough one, especially if you are used to being self sufficient and independent in life. I know that the Lord has and continues to develop this area in me. In the past, I would always try to come up with a solution to my problem on my own before going to God for help. I’d overthink and tire myself out trying to pull out all the stops. I always thought I had to figure things out on my own.
Through several experiences, He’s shown me that turning to the Lord FIRST when I am facing a challenging situation is the solution to every problem.
Psalms 46:10 says “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” We need to take a step back and call on God to handle our difficult season. He says to be still! The Lord is well able to handle the storms we face. He is so great that He is to be exalted and praised among the nations. I don’t know about you but if the Lord tells me “Don’t worry, I’ve got this”, I don’t want to question it!
I can say for certain that when our first action is to give the situation to the Lord and ask Him for guidance, we feel so much more at peace about it. It is not in our own strength that we need to figure things out. And once we see that God is faithful to show up time and time again it grows our trust. We can be still knowing that He will come through because He wants to do good things for us.
I have seen this happen in my own life. In one instance, I had applied for a promotion and there was some spiritual warfare around it. Even the day of my interview. The Holy Spirit allowed me to identify what was going on and called me to pray against it. I declared that no weapon formed against me was going to prevent me from obtaining this position that I knew the Lord had told me to apply for. I had to trust that God would protect me and come through. And He did! That new position provided me with a bonus and more than one pay raise in a short period of time. All glory to God! He had his hand on the situation the whole time.
In everything, even the small things, God wants us to trust Him. We can have a much deeper relationship with Him when we trust that He will work all things for our good. We don’t have to face our difficult seasons alone and we certainly don’t have to strive to perfect our lives.
He Uses the Hard Seasons to Build Our Faith in Him
The Amplified Version of Galatians 6:9 tells us “Let us not grow weary or become discouraged in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap, if we do not give in.”
Despite life throwing us curve balls, we are not to be discouraged in living in obedience to the Lord. Just because we are followers of Christ, doesn’t mean that we won’t face difficult seasons. In fact, the Word tells us that we will face trials. But we are not to be afraid because the Lord has already conquered all.
I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.” [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.]
John 16:33 AMP
We are actually called to see trials like training. Although difficult seasons can be draining, we can find comfort in knowing that the Lord can use them to strengthen us in preparation for the future. James 1: 2-3 says “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” And Romans 5:3 says “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,”
Going through a difficult season can build our faith in the Lord if we allow the Holy Spirit to show us.
God’s Promise in Difficult Seasons
Although we may find ourselves in difficult seasons of life from time to time, the Lord always offers comfort and confirmation that we are not alone. Here are a handful of scriptures that tell us this, although there are many more.
- Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12 ESV
- And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 1 Peter 5:10 ESV
- The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still. Exodus 14:14 NIV
- Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart, And do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him, And He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way]. Proverbs 3:5-6 AMP
- Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4 NKJV
If you are the girl going through a difficult season, I hope you can find comfort in knowing that the Lord is with you. He has his hand upon your situation and has not forgotten you. It’s okay to feel the emotions that come while facing trial but know that you are not defeated. The King of Kings is your heavenly Father and He is your defender. He is working all things for your good. Even the small things. He loves you that much.
Closing Prayer
Lord, we thank you that you are our refuge and our strength. Our ever-present help in our times of trouble. I lift up the woman reading this and ask that King Jesus, the Prince of Peace, touch her heart and calm her mind. I pray that the Holy Spirit within her will show her how to pray through this difficult season that she’s going through. And declare that no weapon formed against her will prosper! Lord, you are close to the broken hearted. May she feel your presence as she goes throughout her days. I pray that you would comfort her and minister to her weary heart as you build her up and assist her moment by moment. I declare that she will see the victory by your hand and that she will come out of this trial more on fire for you than when the battle began. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
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