Turn to God

Written by Amanda Allums 

Do you ever wonder why bad things happen to good people? This is a question many of us have heard time and again, and although no one I know has an exact answer to this question, God reminded me of some circumstances that I have personally been through and the lessons I have learned through them…and there has always been a reason for the trials I have faced. Everyone’s circumstances and outcomes are different, but they all serve a purpose. Sometimes, it may be to draw us closer to God; sometimes, God allows us to go through things to teach others; and sometimes, it is to make sure we are relying on Him and not our own flesh.

I always thought I was pretty good at giving things to God, but in the past four years, I have found that I have had to rely on Him more than ever before. Our tendency can be to try and deal with things in our own strength until we reach our breaking point, and then give it to God. As a child of God, we have access to the throne room any time we want to commune with God. God tells us in John 14:13-14, “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.” So why do we forfeit that right, especially in times of trouble? 

There are times when God allows us to go through things that are meant to bring us to our knees so we solely rely on Him and Him alone. But if we get off course and try to carry things not meant for us, then bitterness, anger, stress, and anxiety can creep in and take our eyes off of Jesus, or even cause us to blame Him. We cannot be so prideful to think we are the only ones who go through hard times, and we should not be so arrogant to think we are the only ones that the devil is attacking. We need to remember that it rains on the just and the unjust and everyone goes through hard times. The difference is, as a Christian, we should have a different perspective on life and how our world works with God in control of it. We must keep our focus on God and remember the promises that He gives us in His Word. Matthew 7:7 says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” We have a tendency to make it so much harder than it has to be but all we have to do is ask (pray), believe (have faith), and receive. 

The devil is constantly trying to attack us and get our focus off of Jesus and make us think we are alone in our trouble and God doesn’t hear us or He isn’t going to answer us. But we need to keep our focus on our purpose and pray with expectation, believe that our prayer will be answered according to God’s perfect will and perfect timing, and let go of the problem and allow Him to work. I have heard so many people say (including myself) that once they let go of the problem, God moved and worked everything out perfectly. So why do we hold onto it?

Once I was saved and found myself around other “church people,” I always heard people say that God would not give you more than you can handle. I always thought it was a scripture verse, but that is not in the Bible at all. The scripture that people are referring to is 1 Corinthians 10:13, which says, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”  People have been using it out of context and it is actually referring to temptation and idolatry. 

So, the question remains–does God allow us to go through things that are more than we can handle? Yes, He absolutely does! Why? So we rely on Him. To say that God won’t give us more than we can handle gives us way too much power in our situation. We are nothing without God and our righteousness is as filthy rags. “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away” (Isaiah 64:6).

So, when we face things in life, whether they be big or small in our eyes, we must allow God to minister to us through the situation. Do not allow the devil to trick you into thinking you can handle it, or that you are being punished, or that you have done something wrong. Pray that God would open your eyes to see the situation for what it really is. Is God teaching you something? Is He allowing you to go through this to be an example to someone else who may also be going through the same thing or may go through it later? 

In conclusion, we must not forget to always have a grateful heart no matter our circumstances. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 tell us to “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” We need to be grateful even in the hard times but we cannot forget to give God thanks for when things are going well also. Giving thanks should be the first and last thing we do each day as a child of God. “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:4-7). When we make God the first person we turn to in the good times, then it is second nature to turn to Him in troubled times as well. There will be situations that are too much for us to handle, but as long as we pray and rely on God, and allow Him to handle it, then He will work on our behalf and He will be praised and receive all the glory for the outcome.