I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.

Lamentations 3:20-26 NLT

I just had to share this passage with you as it’s such an encouragement to me. Many of us have experienced grief in some way – the death of a loved one, the ending of a friendship or relationship, the loss of a job, the development of serious illness. We may never truly forget these monumentally painful events. However, we still have hope! Oh friends, God’s love will never leave you. He will never give up on you. Even in the darkest moments, He sees you and He is guiding you and protecting you. He is so merciful and is keeping His arms wide open for us to run back into if we will just trust in Him and follow Him!

The LORD keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The LORD keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.

Psalm 121:7-8 NLT

O Israel, my faithless people, come home to me again, for I am merciful. I will not be angry with you forever. Only acknowledge your guilt. Admit that you rebelled against the LORD your God and committed adultery against him by worshiping idols under every green tree. Confess that you refused to listen to my voice. I, the LORD, have spoken!

Jeremiah 3:12b-13 NLT

Even when we’re stubborn and try to make life go our way, God still is there to remind us to come back to Him. I know there have been certain times when I tried to force my own hand. I’ve tried to make things happen the way I wanted them to happen. I’ve ignored my conscience (and the Holy Spirit’s prodding) and decided that I was going to fix my problems on my own. In a specific situation I think back to, I idolized myself and I idolized another person in a toxic scenario. It didn’t work out the way I wanted. Sometimes we bring hardship and calamity upon ourselves by indulging in our own sinful nature and pride. Sometimes it’s just the result of the sinfulness of humanity as a whole, which is why death and destruction are so rampant in this fallen world. But God is always there, calling us to follow Him! He will work everything for our good if we choose to trust in Him and obey His will for our lives (Proverbs 3:5-6).

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28 NLT

Now, things may not pan out the way we think they should – but through it all, God has a plan. God knows what He’s doing. He will work it out for good if we commit our lives to Him and let Him use us for His purpose! He gives us a fresh start each morning. Every day is another chance to submit to God and let Him work through us, no matter what is happening in our lives. Ultimately, He is all we will have in the end – He is our reward! We ought to fervently seek Him and listen to Him. Do you trust God? Do you honestly believe that He is faithful and can work mightily in any way He chooses? This is something I strive to grow in. We must pray that the Lord will give us indestructible faith in Him no matter what may come – for He is always faithful.