God’s Grace in Difficult Times: Finding Peace in His Promises

When I’m prepping for a camping trip, I know that the weather might be extreme. Hot in the daytime, and cold at night, rain, wind, you name it.

I also know that we’re not going to have electricity at the campsite so we need to plan accordingly. I know that I’m going to be cooking outside in the elements and not in the comfort of our home’s kitchen.

The common denominator here is that I know what to expect, and therefore I can plan. And plan I do.

But what happens when I can’t plan for what actually happens? What do I do when our car suddenly starts jerking back and forth while driving on a remote road in the desert and there’s no cell phone reception for miles? I'll tell you what happens, panic sets in.

Having unexpected car problems is never fun, but what about major life events? How do I respond when what I thought was a picture-perfect marriage of a couple I know and love, is crumbling and has been for a long time? How do I react when I hear that someone suffered the sudden loss of her husband while out on a family vacation?

Shock. Fear. Pain.

What else makes us more human than experiencing difficult times? I’m sure you have a list of difficult experiences that you carry with you too.

It’s on days like these where I don’t know how to move forward because the weight of everything feels like too much. I can’t do it alone. It’s in those moments that I need to focus on God’s grace.

God’s grace has carried me through more than I can count. And what I’ve learned is this. Grace doesn’t wait for things to be perfect. It appears when life is cracked wide open.

Think about it. Grace finds us when we’re tired, confused, or stretched thin. And through His Word, God reminds us again and again that His grace is more than enough.

Here are a few verses that help me hold on when life feels like it's falling apart. God never changes, even when things get hard for us.

This one hits home for me. I used to think that being strong meant holding everything together all the time, even when I can’t. Because I don’t have it all together, and I never will! But this verse flips that idea on its head. God’s grace isn’t a backup plan, it’s THE plan.

When I’m weak, He doesn’t expect me to fake it ‘til I make it. He meets me there. I’ve seen it over and over. In the middle of breakdowns (literally), unanswered prayers, or the kind of exhaustion that just makes me want to disappear, His grace is always there. He gives it freely to us all.

I don’t always understand why life goes the way it does, but I do know this. I don’t have to be strong to be held by God. His grace steps in where my strength ends.

When I feel overwhelmed, I say that my brain is on fire. And when my brain is on fire, I can’t think straight. And when I can’t think straight, I don’t trust myself to make the right decisions. The idea of peace feels so far away.

But this verse from Isaiah shows me that peace isn’t something I have to chase. After all, I find that chasing something is so exhausting! True peace comes from trust, my trust in God. From keeping my eyes on God when everything around me is unstable.

Please know that doesn’t mean I’m always peaceful. I wish! Sometimes trusting God looks like praying even when I’m still anxious, especially when I’m anxious. But every time I choose to keep my focus on Him, even just a little, I find that I can rely on something steadier than my own circumstances. That’s where peace comes in.

I don’t believe that God isn’t asking me to feel perfect peace all the time. Rather, He’s offering it as a result of trust, even mustard-seed-sized faith.

I’ve been brokenhearted. I’ve been crushed in spirit. It feels like the breath has been sucked from my body. My guess is that you’ve felt this way too.

When someone I love is brokenhearted or crushed in spirit, it’s utterly devastating. My gut reaction is to try and help and troubleshoot. I try to put their fire out. But that’s not always the best thing. In fact, I might be making things worse!

This verse puts language to the truth. God is close. He’s not standing off in the distance waiting for us to feel better. He’s right here in the thick of it.

When we feel crushed, by loss, disappointment, physical pain, this verse tells me that we’re not alone. God’s not scared off by my brokenness. In fact, that’s when He draws near. We’re seen, held, and loved.

I’d be lying if I said that I don’t struggle with this verse. I’m a doer by nature. I like fixing things, checking boxes, making sure I’m "doing enough."

There have been so many times I’ve felt like I wasn’t doing enough for God. I still feel like this, even as I’m writing this! Not reading the Bible enough…not praying enough…not being "good" enough. I have friends that can quote scripture and probably should be leading their own Bible study. When I hear stories of biblical figures, I’m the one who has to go to Google to find the overview to quickly learn their backstory.

But grace doesn’t work like that. It’s not something I earn. It’s a gift. Freely given, not because I got it right, but because God is that generous. God’s grace isn’t measured by my effort. It’s rooted in His love, not my performance or knowledge. Thank goodness. Thank God.

There’s been more times than I wish to admit that I couldn’t see what God was doing. Just yesterday morning in fact! I usually have more questions than answers. Why is this happening to me? When will this get better? How is this going to work? That doubt sure creeps in fast.

What I like most about this verse is that “God works”. Period. He works. For who? “…those who love him.”

I usually won’t see progress the way that I want it to happen and on my timeline. Yet God works. He is always working. And I love Him.

God doesn’t scramble for a plan B. He’s already at work, even in my waiting, when I’m stuck, when I’m at my lowest. And even when I don’t understand it, I can trust that nothing I go through is wasted.

Difficult times will come. That’s just part of being human. But what I’ve seen again and again is that God’s grace really is enough. He carries me when I have nothing left.

The thing I’ve encountered with scriptures is that they don’t erase my pain or fix everything immediately. But they do anchor me. He remains true when life feels like it’s falling apart. And that’s what grace is too, God’s steady hand holding on even when I’m barely hanging on.

If you’re in a hard spot, I urge you to keep these verses close. Read them out loud. You’re not forgotten, you’re not abandoned, and you don’t have to hold it all together.

God’s grace is with us, always.