Joyce Meyer - When Your World Shakes (08/20/2019)
In this message, Joyce Meyer teaches that trusting God is a deliberate choice, not a feeling, especially when life is shaking and answers are unclear. Drawing from Isaiah 40:29–31, he shows that God renews strength for those who wait on Him, even in seasons of devastation. The conclusion is clear: no matter how broken life feels, with God’s help, we can rebuild and continue trusting Him.
What Does It Really Mean to Choose to Trust God?
All right, I am teaching this weekend on choosing to trust God. Trusting God is not something that we simply wait to feel like doing; it is something we choose to do. Every person already has trust—it is just a matter of where that trust is placed. Have you ever spent, or maybe even wasted, years of your life trusting yourself, only to discover that it did not work very well? Many of us have been there, and the lesson can be painful but revealing.
Have you ever placed your trust in someone else who completely shocked you, surprised you, disappointed you, and deeply hurt you? Or maybe you trusted in money, and then something happened and suddenly it was gone. There are so many things people put their trust in that simply are not stable. Tonight, I want to talk about trusting God when you do not understand what is happening or why it is happening.
Trusting God When Life Is Shaking and Answers Don’t Come
It is one thing to trust God for something. This room is full of people, and many watching by television, who are trusting God for something specific. You are asking God to change something in your life, to give you something, or to make something unpleasant go away. You may be trusting God to change someone else. That kind of trust feels natural. But it is an entirely different thing to trust God through something.
Continuing to trust God when He is not giving you what you want, when everything around you is shaking, and when you do not understand what is going on, is far more challenging. I imagine that there are people here tonight who feel like literally everything in their life is shaking right now. For some, it may be just one area, but for others it feels like everything is falling apart at once.
Isaiah 40 and the Promise of Renewed Strength
Isaiah 40:29 through 31 are wonderful scriptures that we should look at together. You know them. He gives power to the faint and the weary, and to him who has no might, He increases strength, causing it to multiply and abound. Even young people shall faint and be weary, and selected young men shall stumble and fall exhausted. But they that wait upon the Lord—who expect, look for, and hope in Him—shall renew their strength.
Through the strength of God, you can rise up and rebuild. You can run and not be weary. You can walk, and you will not faint. When I asked how many of you felt like everything in your life was shaking, I noticed a few faces. I could tell that there are some major things going on right now. Congratulations to you for being in the house of God, seeking the help that you need.
You Can Rebuild What Feels Broken
“They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk, and they shall not faint.” You can rebuild. Everybody say, "I can rebuild". In Nepal, not very long ago, there was a sudden and terrible earthquake. Many of you heard about it. Sadly, we often hear about these things and forget them quickly, even though people’s lives are left in devastation.
These are moments when the body of Christ needs to rise up and at least pray, asking God if there is something we can do. Imagine sitting with a cup of tea, and minutes later your house is in ruins. Perhaps your parents are gone, or you cannot find your children. When people face situations like that, they often feel that life is over. But no matter how many pieces your life is in, with God’s help, you can rebuild.
God Is Not Surprised by Your Situation
God is not surprised by anything that happens in our lives. The people in Nepal were surprised by the earthquake, but God was not. You may be surprised by what is happening in your life right now, but God is not surprised. He has already prepared your way of escape. The people in Nepal can rebuild, and their lives can be restored, even after such devastation.
No matter how far away you think you are from God, He knows exactly where you are. God will go to any lengths to reach you and help you. He will find someone who can love you through your pain, and through that person, He will love you. God will love you back into wholeness and meet your needs if you trust Him, even when understanding feels out of reach.
God Sends Help, Even When the Road Is Hard
We recently sent a team of people to Nepal because we wanted to see what we could do. We cannot fix the whole problem, but we can do something. We chose a village where we wanted to help, and when the team arrived, the roads were washed out. They had to walk into the village. Sometimes it is good for us to do something difficult when it is for the sake of helping someone else.
When people see others willing to do hard things for them, it communicates a powerful message: "somebody does care about me". I want you to know that God cares about you. He will find you wherever you are, and He will send the help you need. Trusting God is not about having all the answers; it is about believing that He is faithful, even when the path forward is unclear.