Day 12

For He Can Be Trusted

from the Do Not Fear reading plan


Acts 27:1-25, Psalm 37:16-19, Jeremiah 17:7-8, 2 Corinthians 4:7-10

BY Bailey T. Hurley

I had never known what it was like to really trust God, until the moment I had nothing left to grasp on to except God’s enduring promise to provide “redemption in abundance” (Psalm 130:7).

Since I was a teenager, I had been faithful: reading my Bible, attending church, and serving in various ministries. Throughout the years I wondered if Scripture memory and prayer really mattered in my life. Would it be okay if I just opted out of these spiritual disciplines for a while? Would it really impact my life if I didn’t read my Bible every day? I was like the men in charge of sailing Paul’s ship (Acts 27:9–11): Could I ignore God’s warning and keep sailing on without obeying Him? 

But then the storm hit.

My marriage was not as healthy as I had believed it was. And one fateful night, I had the choice to either give up or trust God to restore my marriage. In a moment of crisis, God’s Word flowed from my mouth. Scriptures I didn’t even know I had retained were brought to memory. Instead of shutting down, the Spirit empowered me to pray, pray, and pray. I was now witnessing the work God had been doing all those years of faithful discipleship. He equipped me with the armor of God when I needed it most.

Though the enemy tried to knock us down, I had never felt more like the tree planted by water described in Jeremiah 17:8:

“…it sends its roots out toward a stream,
it doesn’t fear when heat comes,
and its foliage remains green.
It will not worry in a year of drought
or cease producing fruit.”

The fruit produced in our marriage from this moment on was only by the grace of God. We both knew the goodness of Jesus’s death and resurrection—to reconcile all wrongs—and it gave us the confidence to continue our marriage under the guiding hand of God. The storm was rocky, but it did not destroy us. 

When life’s storms come, we can encourage those around us like Paul did to the sailors: “So take courage, men, because I believe God that it will be just the way it was told to me” (Acts 27:25). God has told us that despite the storms, He will work all things for our good and His purposes (Romans 8:28). Even when a situation is not so easily redeemable, God has told us He will still use it for good. “Indeed, everything is for your benefit so that, as grace extends through more and more people, it may cause thanksgiving to increase to the glory of God” (2Corinthians 4:15). 

God can be trusted. He never leaves our side. We’ve read about God’s faithfulness in Scripture. We may have witnessed God’s faithfulness in the lives of those around us. But we experience God’s faithfulness every day through the life He has given us through His Son, Jesus. When life feels like it’s the worst, we know Jesus is still at work making all things new. 

Post Comments (64)

64 thoughts on "For He Can Be Trusted"

  1. Julia Rupp says:

    Thank you for sharing this! God, open my eyes to how you’ve been providing and near to me as well.

  2. Lauren Gannon says:

    This study has been awesome and the words from God I have needed to hear. It’s been an incredibly difficult few years with crisis after crisis and I feel like I haven’t been able to catch my breath. I’ve spent SO MUCH time feeling anxious. It’s been a spiritually dry place and a place where it’s hard to keep coming back yo the word. Recently I was praying/reflecting/acknowledging the ways that have been hard and really felt God pointing me towards looking at the ways he provided during these times. The ways he saw me when I felt alone and scared and hopeless. Honestly, I initially felt kind of annoyed because I wanted to just sit with how worn down I was. But the more God opened my eyes to the provisions, the more I was able to feel calmer even in my weariness, knowing I had not been abandoned.
    Lord help me to remember this when my forest reaction is anxiety!

  3. Lauren Gannon says:

    This study has been awesome and the words from God I have needed to hear. It’s been an incredibly difficult few years with crisis after crisis and I feel like I haven’t been able to catch my breath. I’ve spent SO MUCH time feeling anxious. It’s been a spiritually dry place and a place where it’s hard to keep coming back yo the word. Recently I was praying/reflecting/acknowledging the ways that have been hard and really felt God pointing me towards looking at the ways he provided during these times. The ways he saw me when I felt alone and scared and hopeless. Honestly, I initially felt kind of annoyed because I wanted to just sit with how worn down I was. But the more God opened my eyes to the provisions, the more I was able to feel calmer even in my weariness, knowing I had not been abandoned.

  4. Ashlee Hickson says:

    So grateful for God

  5. Mercy says:

    So thankful for the stories many of you have shared, thank you for your wisdom, hind sights, tenderness and honesty. Going through a storm does strengthen us and also brutally strip us of our securities. Truly there’s no guarantee. This reminds me of the verse, Whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it (Matthew 16:25). So the key to finding life is to be ready to lose it. That’s terrifying isn’t it? But there is a GOD who meant what He says. We won’t really lose anything for His name, as long as it’s for Him, we simply will just find everything we give away, they will all just come back to us, like a boomerang. For this I am confident. Be blessed sisters! Have a good weekend!

  6. Jennifer Anapol says:

    Prayer group*

  7. Jennifer Anapol says:

    ❤️

  8. Jennifer Anapol says:

    Sisters, just remember that even when things seem hopeless God is still working , and we don’t have to have perfect faith for him to answer our prayers.

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