In the middle of trouble

There’s something about being in the middle of trouble that tests everything you thought you knew about God. When life feels steady, it’s easy to pray, easy to praise, easy to believe. But when loss breaks your heart, or life takes a turn you never saw coming, it’s like the ground shifts under your feet and suddenly even breathing feels like faith.

James says, “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.” It sounds so simple, and yet when you’re living through the trouble, prayer can feel like grasping for air. You know God is real. You know He works all things together for good. But sometimes, in the thick of pain, it’s hard to feel Him.

That’s the place where the enemy loves to whisper lies that God has left you, that your prayers aren’t heard, that maybe your faith was never strong enough to begin with. I’ve been there. I know what it feels like to cry out, “Where were You, God? Why didn’t You stop this? Why didn’t You save the one I love?”

And yet, even there especially there God is present. Not always loud, not always in the way we expect, but steady. Quiet. Faithful. Sometimes trusting Him in the middle of it all means speaking truth before you feel it. It means saying, “God, I trust You,” even through tears, even through silence. It means choosing to praise Him not just after the storm, but through it not because it’s easy, but because you believe He’s still worthy.

I can praise God for the gift of Michael that part comes easier. But learning to praise Him in the pain of missing him… that’s where faith has to rise above feelings. It’s where I’m learning that praise isn’t denial it’s defiance. It’s saying, “You don’t get to take my hope, even here.”

So if you’re struggling to believe in the middle of your trouble if you feel like God is far away know this: He is closer than the breath between your sobs. You don’t have to have all the answers. You don’t have to understand why. You just have to hold on. Because even in the middle, God is still working. And one day, what hurts now will tell a story of His faithfulness.