Tag Archives: hard times

Peace in the Midst of Life’s Hard

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an olive tree

Finding Peace

Sometimes, peace seems so elusive, especially when you’re going through a difficult time. David, the expressive Psalmist, teaches us how we can have peace even during hard moments in life.

Like an Olive Tree

I read a verse this week during my morning time routine about an olive tree that made me do some further Bible study and discover some great truths.

Why would David compare himself to an olive tree?

But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God. I will always trust in God’s unfailing love.

Psalm 52:8 NLT

About the Olive Tree

Why an olive tree? What is it about an olive tree makes David compare himself to it? I know almost nothing about olive trees, so I did some study.

Olive trees are pretty low maintenance. They don’t need a lot of water; they just need direct sunlight. They flourish in dry, hot summers; which is why they do well in the Middle East. They’re obviously very valuable because of the oil they produce.

So what makes them special? Olive trees are first mentioned in the account of Noah and the flood. The dove brings back an olive branch, indicating to Noah that it was safe to leave the ark. An olive branch often represents peace because of this first instance of an olive branch.

Olive trees grow slow but are fruitful and sturdy trees. In the Bible, they’re represent beauty and abundance. People recognize olive trees today for their beauty and for what they represent—oil. Olive trees are beautiful, resilient, fruitful, and represent peace. Sounds like something pretty great to compare ourselves.

Peace in the Midst of Hard Times

What’s more interesting to note, is that David penned these words right after he was outed by Doeg to Saul. So now Saul knows where David is, and David has to run for his life. So when David says, “I am like an olive tree, thriving in God’s house; I always trust in God’s unfailing love,” we can understand what he’s saying. David is saying, “I am at peace, even in the midst of bad circumstances, because I trust in God’s love.”

David is one of the most expressive writers of the Bible; he gives us so much emotion throughout the Psalms. In this verse, David gives us a picture of how he saw himself, how we can see ourselves, when we trust in God’s unfailing love and believe in his goodness even in the midst of life’s hard.

Peace for Today

I don’t know what you’re going through today, but God does. He sees you. He hasn’t forgotten you. He loves you, and He will get you through today. His unfailing love surrounds you today, so live in that knowledge. Find your peace in that today and thrive.

For More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out my post Finding Peace in Non-peaceful Times. A great read is The Hardest Peace by Kara Tippetts.

Waiting on God to Write Your Story

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choose to wait for the story that's still being written

Copying Someone Else’s Story

Sometimes it seems like life would be easier if we could just write our own story, or copy somebody else’s story for our life. Instead of waiting, if we could just force God’s hand to make things happen, surely that would be better than what we’re stuck with right now.

We know that God writes our story. We know the verses, we know the sayings…but when push comes to shove, life doesn’t always work out the way we want it to. It’s really hard to see how it’s all going to work together for good.

Hard Conversations

I’ve had a few conversations with friends lately that were painful…conversations nobody wants to have. Hard conversations. Things like—what do you do when your spouse withholds his love from you? What do you do when your spouse cheats on you? How do you keep going forward when nothing seems to be working out? How do you trust God when it seems like he keeps failing you?

I used to think I had all the answers; that was before I learned what real life looked like. Real life is dirty and messy and full of questions. It’s not all neat and wrapped up with a bow that has a neatly transcribed verse on the side of the box and a pithy saying like “let go and let God” written on the top. No, life is full of mistakes, regrets, failures, and messes. It doesn’t always work out the way we think it should.

Things Don’t Always Work Out

No matter how much we pray, sometimes we still lose the job, we can’t pay the bill, we don’t have enough money for that present, the breakup still happens, our spouse still hurts us, a friend breaks our heart, the loved one still dies, and on and on the list goes.

I’m sure you could add your own heartbreak. Often, it feels like life would be easier if we could just force our own breakthrough. If we could superimpose God’s will for our will and get things moving, it would really help.

People Who Didn’t Wait

I can’t help but think about the people in the Bible who simply gave up too early. If only they could have waited just a little bit longer.

I think of Saul. He waited and waited for Samuel to show up to offer the sacrifice, but Samuel was late. Saul got impatient and decided to do it himself. The Bible says that as he was offering the sacrifice, Samuel showed up. If Saul would have waited just a few minutes longer, he wouldn’t have missed God’s best. What did it cost him? The kingdom. God was so displeased with Saul’s disobedience that he took the kingship from him and gave it to David.

Another example is Abraham. God told him he would have a son, but he wasn’t content to wait on God. He decided to write his own breakthrough into the story and royally messed up all of history. Because he didn’t wait for God to bless him and Sara with a baby but instead slept with Sara’s servant, Ishmael was born. A few years later, Abraham and Sara had Isaac. Ishmael’s descendants and Isaac’s descendants are still at war today.

Those Who Waited

Conversely, we see God’s hand of blessing on Joseph who waited through years of bad treatment and harsh consequences before God broke through. In the end, God wrote a beautiful story for him.

David waited for nearly fifteen years from the time he was anointed king to when he actually became king of Israel. He stayed faithful to God and didn’t waver from God’s path. In the end, his story played out beautifully.

Wait for God to Write Your Story

We get impatient and want to write our own story, but we can’t. Our story won’t look nearly as beautiful as the one God is writing; it will simply be a copy and pasted version of somebody else’s story.

We have to choose to wait for God to write our story. Wait for him to give us our own. I promise it will be more beautiful than anything we could have written for ourselves.

For More Encouragement

For more on this topic, check out my husband’s book, Breakthrough: Transforming the Death of a Dream to the Birth of a Breakthrough or read my post Choosing Hope: The Best is Yet to Come.

A song that’s really been encouraging my heart lately is Weary Traveler by Jordan St. Cyr. Give it a listen and let it encourage your heart.