"I Trust God, but I'm Wiped Out"

“I believed, so I said, ‘I am completely ruined!’” (Psalm 116:10 NCV).

Did you know that admitting your hopelessness to God can be a statement of faith? Trusting God yet feeling despair at the same time, David wrote, “I believed, so I said, ‘I am completely ruined!’” (Psalm 116:10 NCV).

This sounds like a contradiction: I trust God, but I’m wiped out! David’s frankness actually reveals deep faith: First, he believed in God. Second, he believed God would listen to his prayer. Third, he believed God would let him say what he felt and still love him.

Focus on who God is—his unchanging nature. Regardless of circumstances and how you feel, hang on to God’s unchanging character. Remind yourself what you know to be eternally true about God: He is good, He loves you, He is with you, He knows what you’re going through, He cares, and He has a good plan for your life. Raymond Edman said, “Never doubt in the dark what God told you in the light.”

When Job’s life fell apart, and God was silent, Job still found reasons to praise God:

• He is good and loving (Job 10:12).
• He is all-powerful (Job 42:2; 37:5, 23).
• He notices every detail of my life (Job 23:10; 31:4).
• He is in control (Job 34:13).
• He has a plan for my life (Job 23:14).
• He will save me (Job 19:25).

Trust God to keep His promises. During times of spiritual dryness you must patiently rely on the promises of God, not your emotions, and realize that He is taking you to a deeper level of maturity. A friendship based on emotion is shallow indeed.

So don’t be troubled by trouble. Circumstances cannot change the character of God. God’s grace is still in full force; He is still for you, even when you don’t feel it. In the absence of confirming circumstances, Job held on to God’s Word. He said, “I have not departed from the commands of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread” (Job 23:12 NIV).

This trust in God’s Word caused Job to remain faithful even though nothing made sense. His faith was strong in the midst of pain: “God may kill me, but still I will trust Him” (Job 13:15 CEV).

Rick Warren