There’s no getting away from it, life can be hard sometimes. And Christians aren’t exempt from the tough times in life. In fact, the Bible tells us that we can expect to face ‘many trials’.

“So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while.” 1 Peter 1:6

See also: 1 Peter 4:12 –

It’s easy to say “amen” to scriptures like these in the good times isn’t it? But it becomes a bit harder to make that shift from head to heart knowledge when we’re right in the thick of one of these tough times.

Sometimes we ask, “Where is God in all this? Has he left me?”

The answers to both these questions is: God is right there with you; he has never left your side. Not even for a moment.

Are you in one of those trying times?

Psalm 94 is a beautiful Psalm, and the following two verses in particular are jam-packed with life-giving hope for the discouraged:

“Unless the Lord had helped me, I would soon have settled in the silence of the grave. I cried out, “I am slipping!” but your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me. When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.” Psalm 94:17-19

5 Things These 2 Verses Teach us:

1) God is my helper: God doesn’t passively watch us struggle on, trying to muddle through. He actively steps in and helps us.

 Psalm 54:4 tells us: “God is my helper. The Lord keeps me alive!”
Hebrews 13:6 “So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?”

2) God hears and responds when I cry out for Him: In his unfailing love God is “on the case” in an instant. If you’re a parent, think of how you respond when your child cries out to you. You’d move heaven and earth (if you could) to get to your child. The thing is, God CAN move heaven and earth to get to you if needs be.

Have a look at what 2 Samuel 22:5,7-8,10,16-20 says about that:

“But in my distress I cried out to the Lord; yes, I cried to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry reached his ears. “Then the earth quaked and trembled. The foundations of the heavens shook; they quaked because of his anger. He opened the heavens and came down; dark storm clouds were beneath his feet. Then at the command of the Lord, at the blast of his breath, the bottom of the sea could be seen, and the foundations of the earth were laid bare. “He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemies, from those who hated me and were too strong for me. They attacked me at a moment when I was in distress, but the Lord supported me. He led me to a place of safety; he rescued me because he delights in me.” 2 Samuel 22:5,7-8,10,16-20

3) He Supports me:

“There is no one like the God of Israel. He rides across the heavens to help you, across the skies in majestic splendor. The eternal God is your refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you. He drives out the enemy before you..”. Deuteronomy 33:26-27

4) He comforts me and quiets the turmoil of my mind and heart: The first thing any parent does after responding to a child’s cry is to quiet their sobs with soft words. Hush, it’s ok, I’m here, I’ve got you.

How much more then, does our Heavenly Father care for and lovingly tend to us, his children? 

God picks us up out of our messes, scrapes and bumps. He takes us by the hand and leads us back onto the right path, reminding us of his tender words, such as all those we’ve read today, to quiet our racing minds and pounding hearts.

”For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”
Zephaniah 3:17

“But then I will win her back once again. I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her there.” Hosea 2:14

5) He Renews my Hope! After God has finished encouraging and strengthening your heart, he doesn’t stop there; he restores and renews; enabling us to move forward with new hope!

“but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead”

Philippians 3:13b

Where is God while you’re going through the tough times? He is right there beside you, his strong hand ready to reach out and hold you, and keep your foot from slipping! 

Call out to Him! Keep your eyes fixed on Him. He won’t let you go.

Jill 💜