God is with you during all your difficult times

If you’ve flown on a plane, then you know that sinking feeling that comes when the captain announces, “We’re expecting a bit of turbulence.” As the plane jolts up and down, you think, Is anybody really in control of this thing?

Similarly, in John 16:33, we see Jesus Christ—the Captain of our lives—making this announcement: “In this world you will have trouble” (NIV). God never promised that the Christian life would be a smooth ride. After all, consider some of the difficulties that Jesus Himself went through during His time on earth:

He dealt with homelessness and exhaustion.

He faced intense temptation.

He was rejected, betrayed by His friends, and tortured by His enemies.

He felt abandoned by God on the darkest day of His life.

Since Jesus experienced trouble in this world, you and I shouldn’t be surprised when we go through troubling times as well.

Yet, as you feel jolted by deepening conflicts in our world and difficult circumstances in your life, you may think, Is God really in control of everything? Does He care about what happens to me? You may even cry out, as Jesus did, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46).

If you’ve been wondering whether God is still on His throne, notice what Peter said in Acts 2:23 about the betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion of Jesus Christ: “This Man [was] delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God.” God was in control of Jesus’ circumstances.

God was working out His plan through the worst moments of Jesus’ life, and He is doing the same thing in your life.

Even when your world feels out of control, God is in control.

In Luke 8:22–25, Jesus’ disciples received a powerful reminder of this truth. Jesus got into a boat with His disciples and told them to sail across the sea of Galilee. Suddenly, a severe storm arose, with wind and waves so fierce that they were in life-threatening danger. The disciples panicked, but Jesus rebuked the storm, and everything became calm. Let me share three truths from this story you can cling to in difficult times.

God’s plan is usually to take you through difficulty, not out of difficulty. It was Jesus’ idea to sail into the storm. Only after the disciples went through the storm and witnessed Jesus’ authority over the wind and waves did they begin to understand who He was. Their faith was strengthened. In the same way, God uses the storms in your life to strengthen your faith and make you more like Christ.

God is with you in the midst of difficulty. Jesus did not send His disciples into the storm alone—He was with them in the boat. In Isaiah 43:2, God made this promise: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.” Friend, that means God is with you in whatever you’re facing right now. He is with you through the illness. He is with you through the rebellion of a child or grandchild. He is with you through the death of a loved one. He is with you through the doubt and depression. During all your difficult times, God is with you.

God is in control of every circumstance in your life. After Jesus calmed the storm, He asked His disciples, “Where is your faith?” (v. 25). There was no need for the disciples to panic because Jesus was with them. The One who was with them in the boat was the One in control of the wind and the waves.

The One who is with you every day of your life is the One who is in control of every circumstance in your life.

No matter what you’re facing right now, you can be confident that God is still in control. He has not abandoned you, nor is He panicking about your circumstances. Instead, God is with you in the boat, and He will see you through the storm.