None of us want bad things to happen to us. Whether it’s illness, grief, a broken heart, financial ruin or something else, we want to avoid these things. The popular phrase goes ‘we need the bad times to appreciate the good’ and that’s true, but most of us would prefer to just experience the good and no bad at all. We can even become fearful of these things happening, living in dread that something terrible is about to happen or constantly avoiding situations and people that could cause hurt. But there’s hope. We don’t have to live like that. The Bible says: ‘You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety.’ God doesn’t promise that our lives will be easy and only full of good things, but He does promise that He’ll never leave us. There’s nothing that could happen to us that we’d have to face on our own. ‘So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand’ (Isaiah 41:10 NIV). We won’t always understand why bad things are happening to us, why it seems like things in our lives are falling apart, but we can trust that God will use everything that happens for good (have a look at Romans 8:28). And when we keep our eyes on God and we keep trusting Him, we’ll make it out the other side of whatever circumstances we’re facing. ‘They won’t be afraid of bad news; their hearts are steady because they trust the Lord.’ (Psalm 112:7 NCV).

What Now?

Read Psalm 91. Write down any verses you feel particularly stand out to you.