Four Encouraging Promises for Christians Going Through Tough Times

🌺  Written by Brittany Ann

 Four Encouraging Promises for Christians Going Through Tough TimesHave you ever gone through a tough season in life? A time when life was just hard?

Maybe you and your spouse were fighting a lot. Maybe your in-laws were driving you crazy or your kids seemed set on making all the wrong choices. Maybe you had health or financial issues you were dealing with that were really taking a toll.

The truth is – we ALL go through tough seasons like this from time to time. In fact, John 16:33 tells us plainly: “…In this world you will have trouble…”

But the good news is, no matter what life circumstances are stressing you out right now, you don’t have to worry or be afraid. The Bible is full of super encouraging promises we can cling to no matter how tough the situation seems at the time.

Today, I highlight four of my favorite promises that have encouraged me during the hardest times. Keep reading to see God’s own promises — I hope they comfort and encourage you too!

 

Related:  10 Bible Verses about Trusting God in Difficult Times

 

*This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. This helps cover the many costs of running this site and allows me to help provide for my growing family. Thank you!

 

How Can You Know God’s Will When Times Are Tough?

Follow God's Will Book and Workbook

When times are tough, have you found yourself wondering, Have I done something wrong and this is how God is trying to bring me back? Tough times are made all that much harder when doubt enters the picture!

But you don’t have to guess whether or not your are following God’s will! I offer a guide for learning and confirming God’s will for your life in my brand new book, Follow God’s Will: Biblical Guidelines for Everyday Life, along with the Follow God’s Will companion workbook.

Practical, encouraging, and full of biblical truth, Follow God’s Will is designed to help you answer questions including:

  • What does God want me to do?
  • How do I apply the Bible’s instructions to my life today?
  • Where is God calling me personally?
  • How can I make a difference right where I am?
  • How should I navigate relationships with those who think, act, or believe differently than I do?
  • And so many more!

Want to start reading for free?

Simply enter your first name and email below, and I’ll send you an exclusive “first-peek” right away, right to your inbox!

 

1. God is intimately involved in every detail of our lives – not just the big stuff.

 

Think God is just up there in Heaven, too busy to be bothered with whatever situation you’re dealing with right now? Thankfully, nothing could be further from the truth! God has not forgotten you and He has not abandoned you. He’s still very much so involved in your current situation, even if it doesn’t feel like it right now.

Just consider what these Bible verses have to say:

 

“He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.” – Psalm 23:2-3

It is GOD who makes us lie down in green pastures, who refreshes our souls and guides us on the right path. We are not stumbling along blindly on our own. He leads us and guides us every step of the way!

 

“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” – Psalm 23:4

No matter where we go, He is with us! Even in the darkest valley.

 

“Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.” – Psalm 9:10

The Lord will never abandon us! He’s right by our side, always.

 

Just because you don’t see or feel God at work in your life doesn’t meant that He isn’t. God is always at work behind the scenes, arranging circumstances as He wants them, and orchestrating events as He needs them to bring His great plan for us to fruition.

 

 

2. God is sovereign over all things. Nothing can happen unless He first allows it.

 

Yes, bad things have to happen to somebody and yes they are a part of life, but if you’re going through a tough time right now, God isn’t up in the clouds, wringing His hands, thinking, “Man, I’d really like to help, but… sin nature and all… my hands are tied.”

No, God is sovereign over and in control of ALL things — good things, bad things, all of it. You will not go through anything — good or bad — unless God has first said that it was okay for you to go through it.

Just consider what these Bible verses have to say:

 

““Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.” – John 19:10-11a

Even the most powerful people on Earth have NO power, except that which God gives them (and could easily take away).

 

“Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come?” – Lamentations 3:37-38

God isn’t responsible for just the good things; He’s in charge of it all – good and bad.

 

“There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord.” – Proverbs 21:30

What God says goes. We can’t change or mess up His sovereign plans even if we want to.

 

These verses and countless others make it very clear that, while we do act and make decisions, NOTHING that happens happens apart from God – whether good or bad. He is ultimately sovereign and in control over ALL.

 

 

3. God is a good, good Father who loves us and works all things for our benefit.

 

So, if God *could* spare us from life’s tough seasons but He chooses not to, is He really a good God? The good news is: YES! He absolutely is! God is good, God loves us, and He wants only good things for us.

Just consider what these Bible verses have to say:

 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” — John 3:16

God loved us SO much He gave up His one and only Son to die for us. Would you give up your son to help someone you love?

 

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” — Romans 8:38-39

God loves us so much that absolutely nothing can get in the way of His love for us. Nothing you’ve done in the past, no character flaw you think you have, no choices you’ve made – nothing.

 

“The Lord your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.”

–Zephaniah 3:17

God loves you so much, He rejoices over you with singing!

 

From beginning to end, the Bible makes it very clear — God is absolutely crazy about us! He’s always watching out for us and working things together with our best interests in mind.

 

 

4. God has a plan, and it’s infinitely bigger and better than anything we could ever imagine.

 

So if God is involved, God is sovereign over all, and God loves us very much, why does God allow suffering? The answer is: Because God has a plan.

God doesn’t just allow us to go through tough times and hard trials for no reason. Instead, He allows some negative things in our lives now because He knows that, through them, He can ultimately bring about more good in our lives and in the lives of others later.

Just consider what these verses have to say about God’s plan:

 

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” — Jeremiah 29:11

While this verse was written to a specific nation years ago, the same God who took care of the Israelites way back then is the same God who takes care of us today. And we can have full confidence that He will take care of us too.

 

“The Lord works out everything to its proper end—even the wicked for a day of disaster.” –Proverbs 16:4

God has a plan, and He’s not finished with it yet. He’s still putting everything into motion.

 

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:9

Don’t understand what God is up to? That’s okay — you’re not supposed to! I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to serve a God who was small enough to be fully understood by me. I serve a God whose ways are too mysterious and lofty for me to even imagine.

 

Ready to Walk in Hope and Confidence with God?

Follow God's Will Book and Workbook

Whatever the obstacles and hardships in your life, it’s much easier to face them when you’re confident in God’s will for your life. But what does that mean in your day-to-day routines and relationships?

I give clear, step-by-step instructions for finding God’s will for your life my brand new book, Follow God’s Will: Biblical Guidelines for Everyday Life, along with the Follow God’s Will companion workbook.

Practical, encouraging, and full of biblical truth, Follow God’s Will is designed to help you answer questions including:

  • What does God want me to do?
  • How do I apply the Bible’s instructions to my life today?
  • Where is God calling me personally?
  • How can I make a difference right where I am?
  • How should I navigate relationships with those who think, act, or believe differently than I do?
  • And so many more!

Want to start reading for free?

Simply enter your first name and email below, and I’ll send you an exclusive “first-peek” right away, right to your inbox!

 

Have you ever gone through a tough season? How did you get through it? What worked for you?

 

 

 

 

Brittany Ann Equipping Godly Women

About the author

Brittany Ann is an ECPA bestselling author of “Fall in Love with God’s Word” and “Follow God’s Will” and the founder of EquippingGodlyWomen.com, a popular Christian-living website dedicated to helping busy Christian moms find practical ways to go "all in" in faith and family. Her work has been featured on CBN, The Christian Post, Crosswalk, and more.

  1. I’m so glad I have found you,I’m going through a,difficult time right now,praying to God for hope strwngth

    1. Awwww, I’m so sorry to hear that 🙁 Make sure you sign up for our video series we have going on. Sounds like just what you need right now! <3

  2. Pingback: For Your Weekend – Be Still And Know He Is God
  3. Wow this world was so encourage and touch me where it needed to cus am facing a really tough time now and I believe in God but this has made me believe in him more…thanks

  4. Thank you for this article. It’s early in the morning and I’m having one of those moments where I needed God to comfort me. I felt he his comfort by reading this, it’s just what I needed right now. Life is hard but so much easier when God is with you. Thank you again.

  5. I have book marked this article so it is always available when I need it. Thank you for writing it… such a good reminder of so much I need to remember and share about God Our Father.

  6. Thank you so much. I am going through one of the hardest if not the hardest seasons of my life. This was very encouraging.

    1. So sorry to hear this! I hope the 4 promises in this article encourage you during this difficult time.

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