One of my favorite scriptures is Romans 8:28, which says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
There are many things in this life that threaten our faith and cause us to lose our joy. However, I have confidence in God that he will make a way somehow.
It is always easy to trust God when things are going well. It is easy to give God praise when he is blessing us with good things. But life has a mixture of ups and downs. In this life, there will be some good days and some bad days. Therefore, we need to be able to give God praise for the good and the bad.
I’ve learned over the years that God has a reason for everything that he does, and I believe that he will not put more on you than you are able to bear. There is nothing that God brings you to that you cannot overcome. You have to understand that he is with you and he will help you to make it through every situation. The Bible says that for every temptation, God provides a way of escape.
One of the things the devil has a desire to do is cause the believer to lose his joy. He understands that the joy of the Lord is our strength. Getting us to lose our joy causes us to be weak and ineffective for the Lord. When we lose our joy, we become discourage and discouragement is one of the devil’s most effective tools. When a person becomes discouraged, he will do almost anything. He will commit almost every sin known to man. He will suffer a faith failure and turn away from God.
David said in Psalm 34:1-2, “I will bless the lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.”
David was no different from us. David faced the same things we face today, and sometimes the things he faced were worse. He learned how to trust God in everything. Through all his ups and downs, he learned that God is faithful and just. He learned that God loved him and He chastens those who He loves.
David understood that some of the hardships in his life were a result of his disobedience, and God was justified in allowing him to go through the difficult things he went through. Over the years, I have learned that God sometimes allows hardships to move us into a position to be blessed.
I want to be clear: Not everything we go through is good, but if we remain steadfast and trust God, it will somehow work out for the better. Knowing this, I can be thankful to God for everything. I can trust God to keep me from falling.
It’s time for us to stop complaining. It’s time to turn our fears into faith and trust God through these difficult times. You have to remember that the joy of the Lord is our strength.

Jackson is the pastor of the St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church and a member of the United Ministerial Alliance.