Every human being experiences challenges and hardships in this life, both non Christians and Christians. It may be from financial difficulties or injured relationships or health crises or even war. But it should be different when those who know God through Christ are walking through paths that might even lead them through the valley of the shadow of death. What’s different for the Christian? It’s the fact that we are not alone, Jesus will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). It’s the security of knowing that He has redeemed us and guaranteed eternal life in His presence. It’s the peace that comes from knowing that God causes all things to work together for good (Romans 8:28). It’s the knowledge that God takes what might have been meant for evil and uses it for good (Genesis 50:20).
At the heart of all this is the fact that we who are “in Jesus” (John 15:4) are secure as we trust in our wise and loving and powerful heavenly Father. To trust is to believe what God has told us in His Word about His covenant love (the Hebrew word is khesed) for His elect, whom He has chosen to be the bride of Christ, and to act on the basis of those things that He has told us about Himself and His will. We trust Him for our salvation, believing that Jesus’ atoning death on the cross paid for all our sin. We trust Him as we abandon any idea of earning our freedom from sin’s penalty based on our good works. And we trust Him to work in and for us each day.