Walking Through Trials - {How to Walk Through a Trial + 7 Verses to Help You Along the Way}

“Stop for a second and look at your life. Look at the hard spots; the things that really aren’t about the things; and ask yourself if you’re focusing more on the circumstance than on the will of God.”

Remember the following when walking through trials:

Tears are okay.
Always enlist a friend along the way.
Lift praises to God.
Focus on the invisible.
The Word is a weapon.
Be about your Father’s business.

1 – Tears are okay.

He’s seen tears before. David cried. Joseph cried. Sampson cried. Paul cried. Peter cried. Job cried. Jesus cried. And, the list could go on. Tears are okay when walking through trials.

For so many different reasons they cried. If God never expected you to cry, He would not have promised to capture your tears. This wonderful God knew this day would come. It did not catch him by surprise. It’s working patience in you; this trial. It’s creating a masterpiece yet to be revealed.

I don’t know why the tears. Perhaps you’re crying as you pray for the soul of your child. Perhaps you’re crying while praying for personal deliverance or healing. Maybe you’re humbly crying over our nation as you faithfully intercede. Maybe you’re crying because you just realized you needed to. You needed to because you finally realized you couldn’t do it on your own.

So many times tears fall as we come to the end of ourselves. They bring healing. They come as we learn to surrender and hand it over. It’s a humble spot to be in when you realize you can’t do it on your own, but it’s a needful place on our road to freedom. It is the pride of man that doesn’t allow him to cry. And that pride comes before the fall. When the proudest men learn to cry, it’s usually right before they hand it to God. In finding the end of themselves, they find the beginning of freedom.

And God, who is faithful, catches the tears and lightens the load. He carries the burden. So, my friend don’t be afraid to cry. Whatever you’re going through is tough. Crying is just a human reaction. It’s what our bodies do when we’re overwhelmed with joy, sadness, laughter, heartache. It doesn’t make you weak. Quitting does that. So don’t quit. Keep at it. Endure the hardship. Do not be weary in well doing. Remember who you are. You were made for such a time as this. You are an overcomer. You are precious in the eyes of the Lord, and He cares for you. You are loved, and you are NEVER alone.

Don’t be ashamed of the tears. There’s a season for everything, and I believe the next one involves boxing gloves. So, get ready.

2 – Always enlist a friend when walking through trials.

In the midnight hours, someone was there. It’s one of the things that saw me through. Those night time hours, in the early days, after my son’s death, were horrid. I was unable to speak any kind of truth into my circumstances. I was overcome with pain, but I had a faithful someone. Two, three in the morning when I couldn’t breathe, he was there. He’d answer the phone each and every time. Many times, I wondered how he even knew what I was saying. I was in tears. I’m so thankful he was there.

Enlist a friend today. You’re going to need one. Really, it’s necessary. Let them know about the late night anxiety attacks, the emotion in your heart that brings about physical pain, paralyzing dreams that seem so real you could feel the wind gently blow past you and the rain misting your skin. Pick up the phone and let them know you need someone.

What are you going through today? Sleep may not be your problem. Perhaps, you’ll need help with your kids. Time off work. Meals. A w a ndering mind. A place to crash. A study partner. A weekly visit. I don’t know, but don’t be afraid to ask. One thing I know you’ll need is prayer. So, make sure the people you enlist know how to cover you in prayer. Make sure they know how to speak God’s word into you and over your situation.

Those late night calls were what I needed at the time. I didn’t need anyone beating me over the head with the Bible. I didn’t need condemnation. I needed to come to the end of myself. I needed to get tired. I needed a Penuel.

They didn’t last forever, those late night calls. I got stronger, slowly but surely. Soon, I discovered, if I got up and put my feet on the ground, it was easier for me to redirect my mind. A little later, I realized reading my word, meditating on certain scriptures, or praying were a better use of my time. Soon, I was engaging in full blown warfare realizing that there was one way this thing was going to be won, and it was through the Word of God.

But, it was a process; a process that still continues. I’m still learning and growing. I still hurt, and I still lean on friends. That doesn’t make me weak. It makes me wise. Jesus enlisted friends to watch and pray with Him. And, if He did it, there ain’t no shame in my game. What you do during that time will change as you grow, but it always begins with the painful process of humbly dying to self.

So, I’m inviting you, during this season. Whatever you’re going through, enlist a friend or two, who knows the Word, to help carry your burden. One day, you’ll be strong enough to return the favor.

3 – Lift praises to God.

There’s a secret I want you to know about. It’s the secret of praise. I know it seems unlikely, but praise makes walls crumble and it encourages the soul. Mostly, praise is what we were made for. It delights our Heavenly Father and enters us into His security, surrounding us with His presence. Our enemies scatter.

Praise can seem daunting when you’re in a dark space. Often, we think we need to be happy and filled with uplifting songs. That’s not the case at all, Friend. You can be downtrodden and full of despair. Guess what? God already knows your heart. You don’t need to pretend.

Just give it a try. Give Jesus a try. Just speak to Him. Let Him know that you’ve come to the end of yourself. You can’t do this on your own. Tell Him you’re not perfect. Admit whatever’s haunting you and let it go. Now except His grace and love.

Forget about the notion of what being a Christian means to you. Get that out of your head. It means this: you trust God and He loves you. That’s it. Listen, you’re going through something and what you’re doing isn’t working and I’m telling you God will. Try Him. Just say, “God I trust you.” Then, stand strong in your faith. Keep on praising him. Enlist faith-filled friends. Believe the impossible, and expect change.

Now, praise Him. Praise Him for who He is. Praise Him for what He’s done. Praise Him for what He’s going to do. — If you need help with this, just press play on one of the songs below and listen to the words. Log onto Pandora and put on some worship music. Listen to it throughout this week. Play it in your home. Play it in your car. Play it at your desk. Lift up praises this week.

Praise songs to listen to while you’re walking through a trial:

4 – Focus on the invisible; not the impossible.

So many of God’s people were faced with trials, hard decisions, and valleys. Over and over again, we see them focusing on the invisible instead of the impossible.

Abraham left his home on a Word from God, not knowing where he was going. He was focusing on the invisible instead of the impossible.

When Moses stretched out his arms before the Red Sea, he was focusing on the invisible instead of the impossible.

Joshua and Caleb refused to believe the poor report. Instead, they held tight onto the promises of God. They trusted God would DO the impossible and take care of the giants.

The shepherd boy, David, ran towards the angered giant, equipped with tools that would surely result in his defeat. But, he was focusing on the invisible; not the impossible.

When we focus on the impossible, all the things we can’t do, we miss out on seeing God move. I know it seems impossible. Have you ever noticed this about God? He specializes in the impossible. We just need to focus on Him. Focus on the invisible and He will take care of the impossible.

5 – The Word is a weapon.

This is my front door. No joke.

Yeah, it’s a verse. I was going through the hardest thing in my life and for some reason my husband was taping these silly verses all around the house. I was so annoyed each time I saw them. They just made it blatantly clear that he wasn’t grieving the same as me.

Soon, our arguments involved “my” son instead of our son. You see, everyone of his biological children were alive and well… my son was gone. We’d already lost my son’s father; a death you feel like is politically incorrect to grieve though it hurts all the same.

I felt like my entire past, everything I was, my deepest parts were being stripped away; erased like they never existed. And, I’m stuck with index cards taped to my wall.

“Greater is He who is in you.”

Do you really think I care? I don’t care who’s in me, and I don’t care who’s in the world.

All I know is my son’s not here. Full of insight, excitement about tomorrow, flowing with fresh ideas, and goals… he had goals. So many goals. I wanted to rip those stupid cards down and throw them in his face. But, at the end of the day, I didn’t see the point in that either. Nothing mattered. Nothing.

What was the point?

Saturdays were the worst day of the week. I didn’t have work or church to get me up and dressed. I would wail aloud for no less than 3-4 hours each Saturday morning. I didn’t recognize the noise exuding from my body. It was pure pain. It just hurt.

Gradually, after lots of hard work and therapy, once I could look in the mirror, I began noticing the cards on the wall. They still annoyed me and reminded me of our differences in grief. In fact, a lot of them have been taken down. It still really hurts, but I understand. He grieves differently and it’s very common between spouses. Yet another complexity of the loss of a child.

Something happened. I wish I could say what, but I was ready. I wasn’t ready to leave Josh, wasn’t ready to live without him. But, I was ready to leave some of the pain behind. No one could make me. But, God let me know it was time to put my feet on the floor.

I’m going to be brutally honest here and tell you there wasn’t any fight in me. Those index cards or people telling me to get it together didn’t make me move one bit. You see, God knew exactly when to challenge me. Perhaps, that man lay there by the pool of Bethesda all that time because Jesus knew he wasn’t ready to move. I don’t know, but I know if He’d asked me one day earlier I would have said, “You’re out of your mind.” But, He knew that day I’d try.

When I placed those two wobbly feet on the floor it was painful. My emotions were all over the place. I made a few index cards of my own. Soon, I realized that wasn’t cutting it. I needed to specifically attack the lies that were being thrown at me. Each time one soared in, I’d identify it then attack it with God’s Word. My steps strengthened.

Sometimes, this is what getting up looks like. It’s taking God at His word. My child died. God knows. He patiently waits for me to come to the end of myself, catching every tear. He inhabits the praises I lift up to him, no matter how feeble they sound; knowing that they’ll get stronger as the song continues. At the right moment, the moment only He knows, He’ll challenge me to take Him at His word and get up. Then, He’ll equip me to fight.

Friend, fight! Fight with the Word of God.

Trust it.

Believe it.

Speak it!

Replace the fear with truth.

Pray into your circumstances the Word of God.

Some of you are fighting a different type of battle. It’s a different thing to fight after you’ve lost something precious than it is to fight in order to keep something precious. Let me tell you, if it were the other way around, if I were fighting to keep Josh here, no one… no one could keep me down. Use your weapons. Don’t give up.

Here are three “fighting scriptures” to get you started. Get out those index cards:

“But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.” (John 4:4) – NLT

“For the LORD your God is going with you! He will fight for you against your enemies, and he will give you victory!” (Deut 20:4) – NLT

“What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31) – KJV

6 – Be about your Father’s business.

Even in the midst of really hard trials, God has something important for you to do. Do you know what it is?

When walking through trials, stop for a second and look at your life. Look at the hard spots; the things that really aren't about the things; and ask yourself if you're focusing more on the circumstance than on what God's called you to do.

It’s the same thing you were commissioned to do before your trial began.

Your trial or difficult season doesn’t change what God put you on this Earth to do. In the midst of all the things, it’s important that we not get sidetracked and we remain focused on being about our father’s business.

What’s that, you ask? Matthew 28:16-20 gives us a good idea of what we are to being doing until the return of Christ. I’ve paraphrased it here:

Love God.
Love Others.
Share the wonderful news.
Show others what it means to love God.

Stop for a second and look at your life. Look at the hard spots; the things that really aren’t about the things; and ask yourself if you’re focusing more on the circumstance than on what God’s called you to do.

It got to the point, that I was. You see, I had to learn to love what God loved. I had to earnestly fight for it. During hard times, selfishness will take over. Even our encouragement is about ourselves. “God will turn it around for my good.” – Listen, we’ve got to learn to obey God and be about our Father’s business regardless of our circumstances. He is worthy, no matter what we’re experiencing at the moment.

So, on more time. – You can do this. You’re not alone. God sees what you’re going through. When walking through trials, here’s what I want you to remember:

Tears are okay.
Always enlist a friend along the way.
Lift praises to God.
Focus on the invisible.
The Word is a weapon.
Be about your Father’s business.

You’ve got this… cause God’s got you!

xoxo,

Rachel

P.S. – Here are four more scriptures to help you along your way!

“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

“And then, after your brief suffering, the God of all loving grace, who has called you to share in his eternal glory in Christ, will personally and powerfully restore you and make you stronger than ever. Yes, he will set you firmly in place and build you up.” (1 Peter 5:10) – TPT