Amid a trial or a difficult season, it can be challenging to remember the Lord’s faithfulness. When I feel like I am struggling or being tempted, my initial response seems to sound more like, “God, where are you? Why are you being silent?” rather than taking a moment to pause and reflect on the past faithfulness of the Lord.

It is so easy to get caught up in what I am dealing with that I forget all the times that God has worked things out with my best interest in mind, for my own good and for His glory. Though there have certainly been numerous times that the Lord has been faithful and kept His promises, the slightest inconvenience or hardship seems to send my turning wheels into overdrive.

I wonder how God could allow certain situations to take place, why He seems to remain silent when I feel like I need to hear from Him most, and why He has yet to answer certain prayers I have been diligently praying about. Or better yet, why did He answer them in a way I was not expecting?

When I doubt the Lord and begin to question His goodness, I am saying that my plans are better than His. I am believing that He is incapable of keeping His promises and working things out in the way that He sees fit. Each of these things serve as a reminder of my own sinfulness and my fleshly desire to be in control. However, in His lovingkindness the Lord uses these instances to remind me yet again of His faithfulness and opens His arms, inviting me to return.

When I reflect on the story of the Israelites and their exodus from Egypt, I try to put myself in that story. How would I react if the Lord promised my people something that I wasn’t even sure I would witness in my lifetime? The people of Israel lived in Egypt for 430 years. This means there were many generations that were unable to experience the fulfillment of God’s promise. The beauty of this story is that while there were many people that did not experience the fulfillment of that promise, the Lord was still faithful in keeping it. It serves as a reminder that though things may not go as we hope or plan, God is faithful in keeping His promises to us.

We may have to persevere through hard seasons, battle difficult trials, and walk through some valleys, but through it all the Lord is ever faithful.