We live in unprecedented times, but God is using our troubles in ways that we could never have imagined.

David’s experience of hopelessness

David suffered through a stressful situation because of King Saul’s jealousy and hatred. Only a few verses before our key passage for this devotional, he mourns that even his family turned against him. (Psalm 27:10) He felt as if the bottom had fallen out of his world, and he stood on the brink of losing all hope. Life must surely end, joy was gone from his life, and David wondered if life could ever return to normal.

David’s solution to lost hope

David’s solution to hopelessness is found in our verses: he trusted the goodness of the Lord! In these verses he is reminding himself of what he believes, of Whom he trusts. We read the same kind of self-encouragement in Psalms 42-43. David knew God was good. He knew he could trust the goodness of God. He had the assurance that God would even let him see that goodness before he died!

God has made a similar promise to us today in Romans 8:28 – “we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” You can read the story of David’s rise to the throne in the book of 1 Samuel. He and his men returned home one day to find all their families and possessions stolen by an enemy. The men cried out to David in desperate discouragement. Mighty warriors cried like children and became angry with David for allowing this to happen. Of course, David had nothing to do with it, and he ran to God for answers. God answered him and gave him and his men the victory over the enemy along with every person being restored to the men.

God allows things into our lives to remind us to trust Him.

Our hope in today’s world

God is not harsh or mean because He allows things into our lives, He is kind and good and loving – all the time. His love is so great that sometimes He allows hardship in our lives to remind us that we need Him. God’s promise in Isaiah 40:28-31 is that He will renew our strength. And in Matthew 11:28-30, He reminds us that it is HE to whom we need to come for rest. Only HE can take the burdens that are heavy for us in this time in history.

A short story in Luke 10:38-42 about Jesus’ visit to the home of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary makes an important point. While Martha busily prepared a meal, Mary sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to Him. Martha, impatient and angry, even scolded Jesus for allowing Mary to be so unhelpful. But Jesus reminded Martha gently that Mary had made the best choice. There is a time for work, but there is also a time to stop our work and simply sit at Jesus’ feet to hear Him. His words will renew our strength so that we can “run and not be weary, walk and not faint” through the Hope He gives us from renewed trust in His promises.

Remember: no matter how bad it gets, nothing affects how good God is!