We all experience difficult seasons in our lives, and often, we find ourselves asking God to bring us out of our troubles. However, I want to emphasize that sometimes the miracle lies not in coming out but in what God will accomplish within them. Instead of merely praying, “God, please get me out,” consider praying, “God, please come into this situation. Come into this hospital room while I undergo treatment. Come into this workplace where I am facing unfairness. Come into the anxiety that I am dealing with.” When you invite God into your situation, you are opening yourself up to incredible miracles and breakthroughs.
There’s something more powerful than God bringing you out. It is God coming in and changing things.
Isaiah 43:2 states, “When you go through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire, you will not be burned.” It’s interesting to note that God did not promise to keep us out of every trial or stop us from facing any floods. Instead, He acknowledges that we will encounter challenges we may not understand. The key to this verse is His assurance: He will be with us in the fire, in the flood, and during famine. God may not remove our troubles, but He is present in every difficult situation, protecting us and working everything out for our good.
Remember, while you’re waiting for God to bring to you out, He is waiting for you to invite Him in.
When Jesus writes to the Church in Laodicea, He says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20). Notice that Jesus is waiting to enter into your life’s issues, everyday troubles, and challenges. The question is, are you trying to escape something that God wants to guide you through, or are you inviting God into your situation and allowing Him to work on you to make you better?
An important truth is that if you’re only praying for God to get you out of the situation, you’ll be discouraged until it changes.
God acts on His own timeline. Sometimes, we have to wait longer than we expect. You might feel overwhelmed, thinking, “I can’t enjoy life. My child is struggling, I have health issues, and my finances are tight.” Instead of fighting these problems, you can say, “God, please don’t just change my situation; change me. Help me grow from this.” When you invite God into your struggles, you will feel His support. You’ll find peace in anxiety, joy in sadness, and hope when you feel hopeless—like Paul and Silas in prison. You will find reasons to sing and come out strong.
Here’s something to ponder upon: which would be a greater testimony: for God to keep you out of the trouble or Him coming into the trouble with you and bringing you out through it??
A powerful truth to remember is that God does not always deliver us from our troubles immediately. Sometimes, He allows the odds to be against us so that when He does bring us out, it will be a greater miracle. Although voices may whisper that God hasn’t heard your prayers, it could very well be that He is setting the stage for a significant blessing; one that no one can deny reflects His favour upon you.
In the Scriptures, we read about three Hebrew youths who refused to bow down to the king’s golden idol. This enraged the king, and he threatened to throw them into a fiery furnace. The young men responded, “King, we are not worried; we know our God will deliver us.” Their confidence only fueled the king’s anger. He ordered the guards to heat the furnace seven times hotter than usual and cast them into it.
Why did God allow this to happen? Why didn’t He, at the very least, prevent the king from increasing the fire’s intensity? The truth is that God could have kept them from the fire—after all, He is God. However, He chose to allow this situation to become more challenging because He wanted to perform an even greater miracle.
Another thing we have to realise is that God is not the source of bad things we go through in life.
God is not the source of evil, but there are times He allows us to go through certain situations, just as He did with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. When they refused to bow down to the king’s idol, the king ordered his guards to tie their hands and feet with cords and throw them into the fire. A little while later, the king looked into the furnace and exclaimed, “Didn’t we throw three men in bound? I see four men loose, and the fourth one looks like the Son of God.” Remarkably, they came out without even the smell of smoke!
How we approach our difficulties makes all the difference. It determines whether we come out of these challenges without being scarred or become stuck and miss out on God’s best. Can you imagine how different the outcome could have been if they had complained, harbored bitterness, or grown discouraged? Perhaps we wouldn’t even be discussing their story today, and maybe the fourth man would have never appeared!
Has it ever occurred to you that God may be using that bad thing that happened to you to do a work in you to develop your character?
When they were in the fire, the King exclaimed, “Didn’t we throw three men in bound? I see four men loose.” Although they were thrown in tied up, they were now free. Notice that the fire only burned away the cords that were holding them back. Similarly, when you come out of your difficulties, the only things that will be removed are the limitations that were restricting you. The fire you are going through will burn off fear, negative mindsets, and relationships that weigh you down.
If God delivered us from everything instantly, we would never reach our highest potential. God doesn’t just work on our situations; He also works on us during uncomfortable times. Instead of praying, “God, get me out of this situation,” we should pray, “God, help me have a better attitude. Help me do the right thing when the wrong things happen. You have given me the strength to overcome and the power to find happiness even in the midst of difficulty. I won’t let one person, one illness, or one injustice steal my joy.” This kind of prayer is incredibly powerful and is a sure sign that you are growing and rising to new heights.
Beloved, God will help you overcome what seems impossible. He is with you in the fire, and you can find strength in whatever you are going through. Consider everything you’ve faced: the loved one you lost, the person who walked away after breaking your heart, and the trials that could have soured your life. Look at you now—you’re still moving forward, doing great things, and fulfilling your purpose. How is that possible? God was with you in the fire!
Don’t focus solely on getting through your difficulties. Instead, invite Him into your situations and allow Him to lead you out in His time and in His way, better off than before.
God bless you!
