How to Trust God When Life Feels Hard (Plus 4 Anchors for the Storm)

There are seasons when life knocks the wind right out of you.
It could be any number of things. And it’s not a contest of who has it worst. 

Health struggles you didn’t see coming…

Marriage challenges you never imagined…

Or moments of loss that leave you reeling.

If you’re searching for encouragement and wondering how to trust God when life feels hard, you probably don’t need another “just have faith” pep talk that minimizes the pain you’re feeling. 

You’ve heard the Christian clichés… 

“God won’t give you more than you can handle.”

“Everything happens for a reason.”

“Just pray and read your Bible more.”

I don’t know about you, but in my lowest moments, those words felt less like comfort and more like salt in an open wound.

Sometimes life is more than you can handle. And that’s exactly why we need Him.

In this post, I want to offer real encouragement for Christian women walking through those valleys, biblical truth that meets you in the mess, not just the mountaintop. And I want to share how learning to look for God’s hidden blessings in my own hardest season changed my perspective and strengthened my trust in Him

I Understand, Because I’ve Been There

About 9 years ago, my health, already a daily battle,  began to decline even more.

After my third baby, I slipped into a dark mental fog. Looking back, it was probably postpartum depression or something similar, though I was never diagnosed. What I do know is that my mind was filled with doubt, fear, and a suffocating sense of failure and insufficiency … to the point I questioned if life was worth living.

At the same time, my marriage was in a not so good place. 

And the worst part? I was a missionary wife, the one who was “supposed” to have it all together. But I didn’t. Not by a long shot.

I prayed. I read my Bible. I went to church. I taught Sunday school. I checked all the boxes, and still… God felt quiet. And I felt like a failure.

The Truth I Needed to Remember and Maybe You Do too

It took me a while (and a lot of praying and crying) to realize this:
God’s silence does not mean He is absent.

Psalm 139:7–10 reminds us of that.

“Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.”

Even when I couldn’t feel Him working, He was, like roots growing deep underground, preparing to bear fruit I couldn’t see yet.

One of the tools God used in that time was Neil Anderson’s book The Bondage Breaker. It helped me identify lies I had been believing and replace them with God’s truth. If you’re feeling spiritually weighed down or trapped in cycles of fear, it’s a book worth reading.

So, HOW Do You Trust God When Things Feel Hard?

It starts with surrender.

I know it does sound too simple. But the greatest peace comes when we stop trying to hold everything together and place it back in God’s hands.

Surrender doesn’t mean you can’t cry out with questions. It doesn’t mean you paste on a smile. It means you can be honest with the Lord… asking why, admitting you don’t understand, even wondering how on earth He could bring good out of this

And while the questions swirl, you can reject the lies that want to keep you stuck. Lies that say God isn’t good, that you’re forgotten, or that this situation is hopeless. 

Instead, you anchor your heart in the truth: He is faithful, He sees you, and He hasn’t let go.

Four Anchors for Trusting God in the Hard Season

God’s very character itself is our anchor. He is faithful, true, good, and sovereign to name just a few. Knowing His character and who He is the foundation on which we can trust Him when things are uncertain.

When we think about His character it gives us hope in Romans 8:28 because it’s a promise. And God’s keeps His promises because He is faithful and cannot lie. (Numbers 23:19, 2 Timothy 2:13, Titus 1:2)

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.
Romans 8:28

Here are four practical practices, grounded in God’s Word, to steady your soul and deepen your trust even in the hardest seasons:

1. Anchor Your Heart in God’s Promises

God’s Word is not just words on a page… it’s living and active, powerful enough to transform our hearts (Hebrews 4:12). When fear and doubt consume you, intentionally fix your eyes on His promises. Write them down. 

Meditate on verses like Isaiah 40:31, Psalm 34:18, or Romans 8:28.
These promises aren’t empty platitudes. They reveal the unchanging character of God. 

It’s true that sometimes we get in a dry place and the Scripture doesn’t hit us emotionally the way it has before. Don’t let that discourage you. It’s truth and truth doesn’t need emotions to back it up. 

2. Receive God’s Provision Day by Day

Life’s storms often come with more questions than answers. The Israelites in the wilderness needed daily manna that required putting their trust in God to daily supply for them.  In the same way, God invites us to bring our cares one day at a time (Matthew 6:34).

Rather than demanding immediate clarity or deliverance, lean into His grace for today’s strength, wisdom, or peace. Watch carefully for the ways He sustains you… through a comforting verse, an encouraging word from a friend, or unexpected courage or strength. These daily mercies remind us God is working, even when we can’t see the whole picture.

This is where something like a blessings tracker can be so powerful. When life feels like one giant storm cloud, having a tangible record of God’s hand at work is like sunlight breaking through.

3. Speak God’s Truth Into the Noise

Satan’s strategy is often to fill our minds with lies, doubts, and despair. Especially in the silence. But Scripture calls us to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). One of the most powerful tools we have is speaking God’s truth aloud.

Whether it’s praying Scripture back to Him, singing praise to Him, or simply declaring His faithfulness in the pain, vocalizing truth reshapes our heart and rewires our brain.. It reminds us we are not alone, our hope is not in fleeting feelings, but in the eternal One who holds all things in His hands.

4. Practice Remembering God’s Faithfulness

Look back. Hasn’t He carried you before? Think of the answered prayers, the provision that came at just the right time. Write them down. Talk about them with your kids.

Looking to the Word and reading the stories of God’s faithfulness there encourages me because we can see the whole story. And don’t forget about the Christians in past generations who faced incredible hardships and how God was faithful to them also.

There is comfort in knowing that if he did that then, He can do it again. 

Hidden Blessings in the Middle of the Mess

God delivered me from the mental struggles and over time, my marriage healed, stronger and sweeter than ever. 

However, my health has declined to the point where I face more physical challenges now than ever before. It shapes every part of my day.

But it’s also where I’m learning to depend on God in ways I never had to when life was easier.

Now, I can look back and see blessings woven into that hard season:

💛 A deeper dependence on God’s strength instead of my own.
💛 A marriage rooted in grace and forgiveness.
💛 An even softer heart toward others who are hurting.
💛 A complete change in our life’s direction

That last one was the most unexpected blessing of all. At first it didn’t seem like a blessing and it was scary. He removed us from where we were and put us in the most unexpected place. A place where we could finally heal spiritually and emotionally, where long-prayed prayers began to be answered in ways we never would have imagined.

The answers didn’t come in the form of easy roads or quick fixes. They came through the very struggles we wanted Him to take away. Through it all, there were blessings woven together with the pain.

That’s what inspired me to put together the Hidden Blessings Bundle and why I poured my heart into it. It’s a collection of Scripture-rooted tools designed to help you see God’s goodness in hard seasons. Inside are 30 short devotional journaling prompts to uncover God’s hidden work in your trials, a blessings tracker, verse cards to keep His Word close to you, and reminders from Bible stories where God brought beauty from brokenness.

It’s a nudge of hope when you’re running on empty. Not a checklist, not another burden, just a gentle companion to help you lean into God’s faithfulness one day at a time.

The Transformation That Happens When We Trust

Here’s the thing: trusting God doesn’t always change our circumstances.

But it changes us.

Anxiety loosens its grip. Fear gives way to peace. And it’s not because life suddenly gets easy, but it’s because we learn to rest in the One who holds all things together.

Picture yourself a month from now, still facing some of the same struggles, yes, but with a heart more anchored, eyes more open to God’s hand, and spirit more at rest. That’s the transformation that begins when we trust.

And friend, if you’re longing for a practical way to walk this out, the Hidden Blessings Bundle was created with you in mind. It’s not about adding one more thing to your already full plate, it’s about helping you create room to breathe, to notice, and to remember God’s goodness in the middle of the hard.

Final Encouragement for Your Heart

Life is heavy sometimes.

But trusting God doesn’t mean you carry it all with a smile plastered on your face. 

It’s not about pretending the hard isn’t hard. It’s not about ignoring the pain and pretending everything is ok. But it is about finding God’s goodness in the middle of it.

It means you hand Him the weight again and again, telling Him “I trust You, Lord.” And as you do, you’ll find that His peace really does pass all understanding.

If your soul is craving a gentle nudge back toward hope, I’d love for you to explore the Hidden Blessings Bundle. It’s a grace-filled way to steady your heart and find God’s fingerprints in the middle of your story. You don’t have to walk this road alone.

So pour yourself another cup of coffee (or tea), take a deep breath, and remember this: God is for you, He is with you, and even in the hardest places, He is writing a story of redemption.

Because even here, right where you are, God is faithful.

With you in the messy middle,

Ashley Marie

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