Making Way for God Through the Trials

Making Way for God Through the Trials

We know what comfort feels like, but I think we truly know, feel, and remember every trial we have faced because those are the moments that shape us.

Those trials reveal the areas in our lives where growth and change are needed.

Life will always have trials and conflicts, but it’s how we handle them that reveals our growth and character. If you want to find out where your weaknesses are, just wait for a conflict or trial to arise.

Isaiah 40:1-5 say, “Comfort my people,” says your God.

“Comfort them. Speak tenderly to the people of Jerusalem. Announce to them that their hard labor has been completed.

Tell them that their sin has been paid for. Tell them the Lord has punished them enough for all their sins.”

A messenger is calling out, “In the desert prepare the way for the Lord. Make a straight road through it for our God.

Every valley will be filled in. Every mountain and hill will be made level. The rough ground will be smoothed out. The rocky places will be made flat.

Then the glory of the Lord will appear. And everyone will see it together. The Lord has spoken.”

In this passage, Isaiah is telling the people to take comfort in God. When we truly find our comfort in Him and that truth takes root in our hearts, the trials we face may not become easier, but they will become easier to endure. The rocky and rough ground will be made flat.

Sometimes the only comfort we have is the knowledge that one day we will be with God. So let us appreciate and accept the comfort and encouragement found in His Word, His presence, and even the people He has surrounded us with.

This Scripture also tells us to prepare the way for the Lord and make straight the desert highway for our God.

We have to make way for the Lord.

This means that as we go through trials, things will be revealed to us. Through everything we walk through — through the correction and molding of the Lord — we are making room for Him in our lives. Others will see that change.

We are not automatically protected from trials just because we follow Christ. But the thing about being a Christ following is that the trials we face will not keep us from doing what the Lord has called us to do: teaching others about who He is while continuing to allow Him to work on us.

The failures and mistakes we have gone through — and will continue to go through — can hinder us. They can stop us in our tracks. They can deter us from the path we were headed down. But on the other hand, they can also push us forward and show us where change is needed.

It’s all about perspective and character.

The Bible tells us in John 3:30 – “He must become greater; I must become less.”

When God becomes greater in our lives, we are changed. We become less like who we think we are and more like who God created us to be.

That means when trials, mistakes, failures, and hardships arise, we begin to handle them differently than we once did.

I know for me personally, I don’t handle things the way I used to.

I would overreact and say or do things that lacked good character because I was upset or angry. God showed me very quickly that the way I was handling things was completely wrong and that I needed gentleness and self-control.

I thought I had self-control — and in a way, I did. But it was more of an “I can control this myself” mindset than true self-control. It was often during moments of discomfort, emotional strain, or loss of control that I would react in ways that were not Christlike.

It wasn’t until I learned what caused me to spiral during trials that I began to understand what I needed to surrender to the Lord.

When we hand those things over to God, we are able to find comfort, strength, and understanding in Him. That is how we make way for God in the desert highway of our lives.

Matthew 6:33-34 says, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Trials will come — there’s no doubt about that. But God is who we are called to seek first. When we seek the Lord and His righteousness above everything else, we begin to worry less because we find comfort and peace in what God is doing both today and in the future.

Seeking God first changes our perspective during difficult seasons.

Instead of focusing only on the trial itself, we begin to focus on what the Lord may be teaching us through it. That’s where growth happens. That’s where trust deepens. And that’s where true comfort is found.

Find comfort in the Lord by seeking what He has for you each and every day. Only at His lead will we find a clear path through the trials.