In All Circumstances—The Necessity of Trust

Naomi Musch

Characters in stories go through a lot of disaster, but most often things work out for them in the end. That’s not always the case in real life. Sometimes troubles just don’t get resolved. Prodigals don’t return. The lost don’t believe. The sickness doesn’t get cured. Yet we hang onto hope that, despite whatever heartache befalls us, all will work out well before long.

That’s hard. I recently saw that a Facebook friend had given up hope. I mean, really given up. She had thrown her prayers back in God’s face with a “See? You didn’t do anything with them!” kind of spirit. I tried to encourage her to keep on clinging, to hang on to God’s faithfulness, even knowing that where people are concerned, things don’t always turn out the way we visualize that they should.

And trusting wouldn’t be trusting if it were necessarily easy.

In 2016, my husband developed throat cancer. Scary, yes. About the possibility of him not getting healed, and also about the overwhelming monetary costs. I was afraid we’d drown, and I was despaired about having to think of money and bills, while I only wanted to be thinking of him. But God taught me what He meant when He said He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. It was almost beyond my ability to comprehend how He came through for us.

Then last year, I developed rheumatoid arthritis. In a month’s time, I went from cheering in the bleachers at my grand-daughter’s basketball games to hardly being able to walk or get up from a chair. I couldn’t use my hands for anything. I thought maybe I’d have to stop writing. But again, God showed His strength as I yielded my trust in Him. I am not healed, but I am doing so much better. He reminded me that I won’t be done until He says so, not me.

None of these difficulties passed quickly. And no, not all of my life’s troubles are ridded, solved, or healed. Even as I write this post, new trials are rearing their heads. What’s more, there are plenty of people around me suffering with one anxious problem or another also. It would be easy to feel down and discouraged, but I’m neither.

That’s because of trust. Trust isn’t just a cliché. It isn’t something we say we’re doing as some kind of self-pep talk. Trust in God means furrowing deep into our souls and dumping the debris entirely on Him no matter the outcome. Some people call it “letting go.” I’m okay with that. And really truly letting go of our trials is very difficult, but oh-so-necessary. As Scripture states in Psalm 40, “How blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust.”

I am His and not my own. He will be with me in whatever He allows, whether for joy or sorrow.

My characters go through some terrible times. Some of them go through times I cannot even imagine enduring myself. Yet, it’s my hope, that in writing about their fictional struggles, my stories will resonate with someone who is longing to fully trust, someone who can sense the deeper hope and even joy that God provides despite their difficult circumstances.

Because the prodigal might not return. The lost might not believe. The sick might not be made well. But God will always be there holding us, carrying us, teaching us, and giving us some light to see by. Trusting in Him, no matter if the days are the darkest ever, grants peace beyond understanding.

Naomi is an award-winning author who crafts her stories from the pristine Lake Superior north woods, where she and her husband Jeff live as epically as God allows near the families of their five adult children. Naomi is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and the Lake Superior Writers. Though she has written in a variety of venues on topics ranging from homeschooling to homesteading, her great love is historical fiction. She enjoys roaming around on the farm, snacking out of the garden, relaxing in her vintage camper, and loving on her passel of grandchildren. Naomi would love to meet with and speak to your group. She would also enjoy connecting around the web: NaomiMusch.com 

Naomi has two new books out this year. THE BRIGHTEST HOPE (August 2019) and THE HIGHLANDERS (November 2019)

Holly Allen is a well-adjusted war widow with a knack for running the family press. She’s over the days of waiting for a white knight to ride in and sweep her away from her cares. Besides, if Hugh Phelps is a knight, he’s certainly a black one—with his prison record, personal demons, and the ghosts of war that haunt him.

When Holly hires Hugh, despite her reservations, it isn’t long before she sees the man he could really be, and as Hugh finds his niche at Allen’s Printing, he finds his lady boss equally appealing. Despite the attraction, however, Holly won’t let herself fall for a faithless man, and Hugh isn’t on gracious terms with God.

Then, just when new beginnings seem possible, old heartaches from the war come calling. Now it might only be in letting go of everything dear that they both discover what real love is.

Pontiac’s War, August 1763: “I beg Ye to take me.” Wounded in battle in the American wilderness, Lachlan McRea of His Majesty’s 42nd Highlanders pleads with God, yearning to be reunited with his lost wife and child. As death hovers near, he is discovered by Wenonah, a native widow doing all she can to survive alone while avoiding the attentions of a dangerous Shawnee warrior. In aiding one another, their perils increase. If Lachlan can let go of the woman he once loved, he might find healing for both body and soul.

Thank you, Naomi, for the wonderful reminder that trusting isn’t easy but is absolutely necessary. Naomi has agreed to do a winner’s choice giveaway of an eBook copy of The Highlanders or any eBook from her Echoes of the Heart series. To be entered to win, simply leave a comment below. Winner will be drawn on Wednesday, November 27th, 2019, and announced here.

THE FINE PRINT: CONTEST VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. ONLY US RESIDENTS WILL BE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE A PAPERBACK COPY OR EBOOK COPY FOR THIS DRAWING. EACH COMMENTER IS ASSIGNED A NUMBER AND THE WINNER IS DRAWN USING RANDOM.ORG. WINNERS WILL HAVE TWO WEEKS FROM THE DATE OF THE DRAWING TO CLAIM THEIR PRIZE.

OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN GUEST BLOGS ARE NOT NECESSARILY THE OPINION OF SARA L. FOUST, NOR AN ENDORSEMENT FOR GUEST’S BOOKS. I AM HAPPY TO HELP FELLOW AUTHORS GET THE WORD OUT ABOUT THEIR BOOKS, BUT HAVE NOT NECESSARILY READ ALL OF THE ONES THAT APPEAR ON MY BLOG. HOWEVER, GUEST’S BOOKS THAT APPEAR ON MY BLOG HAVE BEEN REPRESENTED TO ME AS BEING IN THE CLEAN-READS/CHRISTIAN GENRE.