This morning I was thinking about how easy it is to believe God for things, yet when we go through hard times our faith can be shaken, and we aren’t believing anymore. When we think about believing God, it’s typically believing God for something and not in the middle of something. As I was thinking, I remembered a verse Pastor Steve Solomon preached years ago.

Ecclesiastes 7:14 TLV “In a time of prosperity, prosper! But in a time of adversity, consider: God has made one as well as the other. Therefore man cannot discover anything about his future.”

This verse allows us comfort in life, to know that God is working in the good and the bad. When we experience prosperity, we should not feel guilty. Conversely, when facing adversity, we should not feel condemned. Prosperity and adversity come from God and serve a purpose. 

It is easy to be joyful when things are going well, but how do we get through the hard times? We get through the hard times by reminding ourselves that God is good all the time. James tells us to count it all joy when we face trials because they produce patience and perseverance in our lives. God told Paul that His grace was sufficient in weakness. In our weakness, God is made strong. In our need, God’s provision is made known. There are many great promises of prosperity and provision in the Bible. Persecution and problems also have a place in our lives. The key in the good times and the bad is perseverance.

Whether things are going good or bad, according to my perspective, God is in control. Because of that fact, we can enjoy the good times without fear and persevere through the bad times without panic.

That is not to say that trusting God is always easy. Sometimes things get so dark we cannot see any light at the end of the tunnel. It’s in those times that we take hold of the promises of God; we trust in His plan, His purpose, and His provision.

Don’t let a problem convince you there is no provision. The promises of God are true; you can make it through bad times and rejoice in the good times. It is in trials that we learn to trust God, and it’s in the midst of problems we learn to persevere.

Should you hold on to the promises of blessing in the Bible? Yes, with one hand and with the other, hold on to the Scriptures about persevering through hardship. It rains on the just and the unjust; the only way to get through the hard times is to know, not just believe, but know that God has a purpose for you and that He will be glorified.

Romans 8:28-39 TLV “Now we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose. ²⁹ For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. ³⁰ And those whom He predestined, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified; and those whom He justified, He also glorified. ³¹ What then shall we say in view of these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how shall He not also with Him freely give us all things? ³³ Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who is the one who condemns? It is Messiah, who died, and moreover was raised, and is now at the right hand of God and who also intercedes for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Messiah? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written, “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.” ³⁷ But in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Messiah Yeshua our Lord.”

Nothing can separate you from the love of God. Nothing can stop God’s plan for your life, and nothing comes into your life, good or bad, without God working it out for your good and His glory. Today hold fast to the promises of God, trust Him in the good and the bad, and know that all things work together for good.