Bad things happen in life. That is just the way life is. We all will encounter difficult times and we will face tragedies. We will struggle to understand why we have to endure the bad things that happen to us. Many of us may search for years to try to find the answers that we are seeking. We will be confused and disheartened. Our faith will be tried, and we may even become angry with God from time to time. We will pray earnestly for answers, and we will look for signs and confirmation in everything that we encounter. We will cry out to God and tell Him that we do not understand what is happening, and we will pray that He will reveal all the answers to us. We will become discouraged when we feel like we are not getting the answers that we are seeking, and we will become frustrated when it seems that God is being too quiet and not talking to us like we want Him to.

This is the time that Satan will try to convince us that God is not listening. He will try to make us think that God has abandoned us and that He has turned His back on us. This will make us feel even more confused, and many of us will want to give up and try to take matters into our own hands. This is the worst thing that any of us can do. God wants us all to know that He is not the author of confusion. God is the author of peace and love. The fact of the matter is there are some things that we may never understand. I know that sounds like a cop-out, but that is unfortunately the truth.

However, it is during these times of confusion, searching, and lack of understanding that we need to lean on God even more than we have before. It is during these times that we need to look to God for guidance and assurance that He loves us and He wants what is best for us. Satan wants to convince us that God does not care about us and that He is just jerking us around, but that is yet another lie that Satan tells us to steal our peace and to keep us in bondage. God knows that bad things happen to us while we live on this earth. After all, earth is not Heaven, and God never promised us that life on earth would be perfect. He wants us to look to Him during these times so that He can give us the assistance that we need to face whatever struggles we encounter.

One thing we need to understand, though, is that His assistance may not include telling us why we had to encounter the struggle that we face. He can use the struggle to teach us lessons and make our walk with Him stronger, but we may never truly understand why it had to happen in the first place. Our job is to lean on God and to trust Him. Our job is to continue to seek Him out and let Him guide our steps even when we do not understand why something has happened. God can and will give us comfort during these difficult times, and He will bring us through to a place of renewed hope and faith. We just have to trust Him and not give up.

So, if you are enduring a struggle right now and you are trying in vain to understand why it has come your way, stop trying to figure out the answer and reach out to God. Stop asking Him why He has allowed this to happen and start letting Him ease your mind and bring you peace. Take hold of His hand and know that He has everything under control and that He truly does want the best for you. Never think for a minute that God has abandoned you or that He has left you stranded in the middle of a crisis. He is right there by your side comforting you and whispering words of peace and encouragement into your ear. Allow Him to guide your mind and your heart and let Him renew your peace and hope. I know how hard life can be. I know how easy it is to want to give up, but we cannot do that.

I know how easy it is to listen to the negative voices and let them convince you that you are stuck and that there is no hope, but I am telling you, there is hope. If you never hear another thing I ever say, hear this: THERE IS HOPE! God is the answer that you are seeking. God can bring you peace and joy. Don’t turn your back on God. Let Him continue to lead your steps. Stop trying to understand why bad things happen, and remember that God loves you and He will never leave you. If we can all understand that, all of our lives will be so much better and peace will be abundant and PEACE MATTERS.

~Dan~