How to Face Difficult Trials

Have you ever felt so helpless and hopeless that you did not know how or if you were going to get through that particular situation? I think most of us have felt that way at one time or another. In this article, I will share with you how I have been able to get through difficult situations in my life by meditating on bible accounts. If you are a religious person, I hope that you can draw strength from these as well.

One account that I like to think about when going through a difficult situation is the account of the Red Sea. I think that it is so amazing how the Israelites were standing on the bank of the red sea with no way out. Think about it! Pharaoh's army was fast approaching behind them, and in front of them was the Red Sea. Looking at it from a human standpoint, they were dead. There was absolutely nothing humanly possible that they could do. Yet, God provided a way out when they least expected. Moses was instructed to "lift his rod and stretch his hand out over the sea and split it apart." Miraculously, the waters parted opening a way for them to walk across the sea. Who would have ever thought that that was going to happen? They had never seen this done before; however, they were all able to walk safely across to the other side.

Another account I like to meditate on during difficult times is the account of Jericho. Rahab was instructed to hang the red rope from her window in order for her life and her family's lives to be spared. What would we have done if we had been in her position? Everything around us is crashing down; would we have enough faith to stay in that little room or would we tend to try to save ourselves? That is what Rahab's sister did. She stepped outside the room and perished as a result. God however, kept his promise and although the whole city was destroyed, Rahab and her family were safe when everything was over.

The reason I am discussing these accounts is because although these accounts took place thousands of years ago, we are in a similar situation today. We may find ourselves facing certain trials - a death in the family, an illness, or any other problem. It may seem as if there is nothing that we can possibly do to remedy the situation - just like the Israelites standing on the bank of the Red Sea. Nevertheless, when we least expect it and in a way that we never could have imagined, something happens that either solves the problem or gives us the necessary strength to endure.

Sometimes we may feel as if our whole life is falling apart. Yet our heavenly father promises that if we seek his guidance, he will be there for us. The thing is, will we have the kind of faith that Rahab exercised when she trusted in the words of God's prophet and stayed in that room regardless of what was going on outside around her. That kind of faith saved Rahab's life.

May you too draw comfort and strength from these accounts knowing that "all things that were written afore time were written for our instruction, that through our endurance and through the comfort from the scriptures, we may have hope."