At the beginning of each new year, churches lay out the new vision and scripture focus for their community. In January of 2022 our pastor announced that the scripture focus in the church would be Faith over Fear. “That’s a good one,” I thought. I pondered about how that would be a powerful focus for other people in the church. But I didn’t think the message was for me. I thought that I had plenty of faith, and I certainly had no fears. What I didn’t know in that moment was that the Lord already set a path before me of major healing. A healing journey that would surely test my emotional strength and my faith in God. If you are also going through a healing journey of your own, then I hope you are encouraged today to continue trusting God in difficult times.

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Trusting in God for healing

I honestly was not sure what to expect when I decided to meet with a therapist for the first time. I ignored the call to do therapy for about 30 years. Unfortunately, I allowed the micro traumas to fester deep down in my soul for as long. The un-healed trauma affected the way that I interacted with my husband and children. It also affected how I thought about myself in relationship with others. I finally came to a crossroad where I had to choose to trust God and face the healing head on. Or I could continue to let the trauma infect me until it ruined everything. In a momentary act of bravery I signed up for my first therapy session.

Together with my therapist, we unpeeled the layers of micro trauma over the course of the year. It was hard, and sometimes excruciating emotional work to bring up things in my past that I wanted to forget. There were times when I just wanted to stop. There were times when I couldn’t see the light on the path. It felt lik I would always feel hopeless and lost. However hard it got, I also felt an incredible peace in the process that only the Lord could have given to me. I determined each day to continue to trust God for my healing. 

It’s not easy to face your fears and trauma head- on. Most people find a way to bury it beceause facing it is hard, painful work. However, I can assure you that you can never stuff it deep enough to not affect you. In fact, according to Christian Counseling Centers, if gone un treated trauma can produce a debilitating affect on the survivor and affect all areas of their relationships. It can even hinder the survivor’s relationship with God. By trusting in God during difficult times we are actually deepening our relationship with God, and finding the strength in the Lord to continue the journey through the healing.

finding strength in faith

The first step to healing is trusting God in difficult times. The second step is to find strength in your faith that will help maintain you as you heal the past traumas. When you are going through a difficult time, it is easy to get weary. You get weary of feeling bad and you get weary of feeling intense highs and lows of emotions. One bible verse that I go-to in the times that I need to be reminded of strength from the Lord is in Philippians 4:12-13 (NIV), “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” This scripture verse is a good reminder that no matter what comes at you, the strength of your faith in the Lord and His works will sustain you.

This isn’t a typical New Year’s resolution post. I’m not going to encourage you to pick a “word of the year” or write a list of goals to achieve. I’ve found that focusing on words and lists are a great way to distract from the true healing that needs to take place within. What I am going to encourage you to do is to start trusting God in difficult times. Ask Him to do the deep, healing work that will far outlast any immediate goal or resolution. Even if you can’t see the Hope that is there yet, keep trusting God to lead you towards the Hope and Healing that He has laid out for you.

For more advice on trusting in God, read my blog post on 5 Ways To Keep Trusting in God During Hard Times.