Standing Upright In The Midst Of Uncontrollable Trials

Trust.

Trust.

Trust.

This word beats in my head like the weary heart in my chest.

As I write these words, my mind is overworking in attempts to reconcile our altered and rescheduled wedding day with my life-long eagerness for a beautiful, dreamy and memorable wedding. Our siblings and oldest friends cannot travel to stand by our sides as we establish our covenant. Those who’ve devoted decades to influencing, guiding, and caring for us are ordered not to gather with us. Constantly changing mandates and recommendations make it hard to predict anything about the day we have been planning for months, and any attempt to plan just seems foolish.

Like many, I’m guilty of expecting this world to be predictable, steadfast, preservative of my joy. I put my trust in the world to fulfill my own plans and bring my personal dreams to fruition. Yet in this season where all feels lost, I’m faced with the reality of how little my true joy and deepest longings mean to the father of this world – the father of darkness. And yet, they matter deeply to our God in Heaven, and therefore I know we can stand firm in the truth that He is working all things out for our ultimate good, and His ultimate glory.

As Psalm 20:7-8 proclaims, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright.” The trust we are called to place in the Lord Jesus Christ in this season is not in that He will deliver our desired outcome, or that He will remove the sickness and brokenness right now. Will my fiancé and I have our dream wedding day in a couple of weeks? At this point, probably not. But, we will have our Comforter, Sustainer, Healer and Savior who never defaults on His promises to us.

We trust God to provide, and be for us what we know the world cannot (John 14:27). We trust He is able to grant us peace and stillness in the midst of a raging tempest (Mark 4:41). We trust that He is close to the brokenhearted, the anxious, the fearful and the hopeless (Psalm 18:6). And when we face the weight of this current situation, we stand in greater awe and wonder at His promise to one day wipe away every tear from our eyes, sickness from our bodies, and imperfection from our midst (Revelation 21:4). To deny what the world says is essential in favor of God’s greater purposes is one of the hardest things to do, yet with the Holy Spirit dwelling within us and renewing us day by day, we can see more clearly what is indispensable in this life. 

So let me ask you, how has God helped you rise and stand upright in this season?

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” - Romans 15:13

-Bri Wozniak