It is so natural for us to want to run from hardship. No one wants to go through trials and tribulations. I myself struggle with the fear of “will I be able to handle it?” and thoughts about “am I strong enough?” And you know what I have experienced first hand? I am not. I am not able to handle it and I am not strong enough. But I know who is.

Paul says in 2 Corinthians, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power was rest on me. That is why, for Christ sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

This has been a thematic verse in our family.

We have seen God work in mighty ways during times that seemed hopeless and overwhelming. Times when we didn’t know how we were going to pay for a bill. Times when I was having a panic attack and didn’t know how to move forward. Times of severe anxiety that woke me in the middle of the night. Times when the situation felt so confusing and complicated and I didn’t know what would happen. I have seen God move in these moments.

David says in Psalm 119:71 “It was good for me to be afflicted, because I learned your statutes.” David was able to look back on his trials and thank God for them, and see God’s promises in them. Not that any of us want these trials of course, but there is a mighty, amazing, supernatural gift that comes when we finally give a situation to God and watch Him work.

Through our trials I have seen God provide. I have seen God meet our needs that seemed so specific and often times, unimportant. But God cares about the details of our lives. I have felt His peace and comfort that surpasses understanding. I have felt capable and strong amidst the struggle because it is HIS strength in me.

If you are in the middle of a trial, I encourage you to give it to God and watch Him move and watch His promises unfold.