Today we continue our series from the book by Dr. Tony Evans, “Can God be Trusted in our Trials?”

Last week we talked about making sure that faith is at the forefront of trusting God through our trials. This week, we’re going back to the book of Hebrews to get more encouragement. This week, it’s about making sure that we are intentional to get in the race to work with God through our trials.

Dr. Evans, when he refers to “getting in the race,” is writing about making sure we are pushing back against unbelief. Using faith to help us push forward. In Hebrews chapter 4, it reminds us that the struggles of the Israelites, as they journeyed from Egypt to the Promised Land, stemmed from the fact that they had lost their belief in God and they were not united in their faith.

Remember in life, we can anchor a lot of things – we can anchor a swing set, a basketball hoop, a fence post or anything else we want with cement, but it has to be mixed with water to become concrete and hold.

In a shaky situation where you need an anchor for your soul, you need to mix God’s truth with your faith. In other words, you act as if God will provide you with the strength to bear your trial.

Hebrews 12:1 reminds us that once we get rid of the sin of unbelief, that tangles us up so easily, we can run the race with endurance. It’s the same thing that James says in Chapter 1, verse 4: keep going; don’t quit, let endurance have its perfect result.

Sometimes, our response to that is, “but I’m tired.” And that’s true; we all get tired. But God will give us grace to press on for one more day tomorrow and then he’ll meet us again with grace to endure the day after tomorrow.

Remember what Matthew 6:34 says: “do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will care for itself.” You may not see anything but the crisis right now, but God’s Word assures you that Christ is in your crisis. And that’s all any of us really needs to know.

Hebrews continues with more wisdom in chapter 12, verse 2, when it reminds us to, “keep our eyes on Jesus the author (or the architect) of our faith; and the perfector (or completer) of our faith.

That means he is everything between the start and the finish of the race called the Christian life. The time to look to the savior is not just when things are going well and you’re singing praises, but when the pain is the most intense and you feel like you’re going to collapse any minute.

God CAN be trusted in our trials because he’s given us the fuel to press through them.

Thanks for listening!
– Joe and Todd