What if the battle you’re asking God to end is also the place He’s using to strengthen you and do something in your life beyond what you could ask, think, or imagine?
Friend, this conversation about how to trust God in hard times with Susie Larson came at exactly the right time for me.
I was reading Susie’s book More Than You Can Imagine on a plane when I got to pages 84 and 85 and my heart knew God put this book in my hands for a reason. I handed the book to my husband because we’re praying through something ourselves, and what I was reading felt like an answer to prayer.
Two things especially stopped me:
“Don’t look back, don’t rehearse, don’t rehash.”
And then:
“You’ll find that unrestrained venting only weakens you.”
That second one hit me right where I needed it.
Because how often do we keep talking about what we’re going through because we think we’re processing it? We replay what happened. We think about what someone said. We worry about what might happen next. We tell the story again.
And without even realizing it, we can spend more time rehearsing the problem than remembering what God has said.
That’s why I wanted to have this conversation with Susie.
When Talking About the Battle Starts to Weaken You
The moment I read that I knew that all the talking about it wasn’t fixing anything, it was only weakening me and my faith!
This may have been the biggest takeaway for me personally.
Proverbs 18:21 tells us that death and life are in the power of the tongue and we will eat the fruit of it!
Susie and I talked about the difference between honestly processing something painful and continually rehearsing it. There is a place for talking about what we’re going through. We need godly counsel. We need people we trust. Sometimes we need professional help.
Susie talked about Psalm 46:10 and the command to “Be still, and know that I am God.”
Sometimes trusting God means there comes a point when we stop talking, stop trying to figure everything out, and make room for Him.
That doesn’t mean the situation suddenly doesn’t matter. It means I don’t want my own words to keep taking me back to fear after I’ve already taken something to God.
Don’t Look Back, Rehearse, and Rehash
Susie explained how easily an old hurt can become the lens through which we look at our future. Something painful happens, and before long we’re not only thinking about what happened. We’re imagining it happening again.
That’s why her words “Don’t look back, don’t rehearse, don’t rehash” were so powerful for me.
Romans 8:28 reminds us:
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
We don’t have to deny what happened to believe that God is still working.
And we don’t have to keep returning to yesterday to prepare ourselves for tomorrow.
Trust God When You Can’t See What He Sees
One of the most freeing things Susie said in our conversation was:
“Faith is your vision. Trust is your decision.”
I love that.
Faith believes God is who He says He is. Trust is choosing to live like that’s true, even when I don’t understand what He’s doing.
Proverbs 3:5–6 says:
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.”
This is where trusting God in hard times becomes very real.
We want to understand. We want to know how the story ends. We want God to show us what’s on the other side before we take another step.
But He sees what we cannot see.
Susie said something in the book that stayed with me: don’t try to figure everything out from your limited perspective. God knows what’s on the other side of the wall. We don’t.
Maybe faith isn’t having the whole map.
Maybe it’s trusting the One who does.
Your Battle Does Not Get to Tell You Who You Are
This was another part of Susie’s book that I needed.
She writes that the situation you’re facing has no power to diminish who you are to God. You are loved, called, equipped, and chosen.
That’s so important because when something goes wrong, it’s easy to make what happened mean something about us.
Maybe God forgot me.
Maybe I’m not enough.
Maybe I missed Him.
Maybe my best days are behind me.
But your circumstances don’t get to define your identity.
Isaiah 41:10 says:
Yes, I got cut off. Continuing exactly where we left off:
“Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
— Isaiah 41:10 NKJV
The battle may be real, but it does not have the authority to rename you.
Don’t Waste the Battle
One of my favorite things Susie said in our conversation was:
“Our battles must never be wasted on us.”
I haven’t stopped thinking about that.
Because when I’m going through something hard, my natural prayer is, God, please fix this. Change this. Give me the breakthrough. Show me how this is going to work out.
But what if there’s another prayer we need to pray?
God, what do You want to do in me through this?
James 1:2–4 tells us that the testing of our faith produces patience and that we are to let patience have its perfect work in us.
That doesn’t mean we call something painful good. It means we believe God can do something good in us even while we’re walking through it.
Susie talked about how easy it is to numb ourselves and simply hope the trial passes. But what if instead we press into God and allow Him to build something in us that we couldn’t have developed any other way?
Maybe He’s deepening your trust.
Maybe He’s teaching you to stop living from fear.
Maybe He’s showing you where you’ve been trying to control an outcome that belongs to Him.
Maybe He’s strengthening your faith for something you can’t see yet.
What if God is using the battle you’re in to build you for what He has ahead?
Remember What God Has Already Done
Toward the end of our conversation, Susie shared something I thought was so practical for those seasons when fear is louder than faith.
Remember.
Remember God’s miracles. Remember His mercy. Remember His lovingkindness.
When all we can see is what’s wrong right now, it’s easy to forget all the ways God has already been faithful.
Psalm 103:2 says:
“Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits.”
Sometimes we need to deliberately remember.
Where have I seen God move before?
Where has He provided when I didn’t know how He would?
Where has He carried me through something I thought I couldn’t survive?
Where have I experienced His mercy?
We don’t remember because we’re pretending the current battle isn’t hard. We remember because God’s past faithfulness helps us trust Him with what we cannot see yet.
What Are You Agreeing With?
This is the question I walked away from this conversation asking myself.
When I’m in the middle of a battle, what am I agreeing with?
Am I rehearsing fear, or am I returning to God’s truth?
Am I allowing what I see to determine what I believe, or am I trusting the God who sees what I cannot?
Am I spending all of my energy asking God to change my circumstances, or am I also allowing Him to change me?
I don’t want the battle I’m walking through to weaken my faith. I want God to use it to build my faith.
And friend, that’s my prayer for you too.
Whatever you’re facing today, go to God first. Bring Him the fear, the questions, the outcome you wish you could control, and everything you don’t understand.
Then ask Him:
God, what do You want me to know? What do You want me to do? And what do You want to build in me through this?
Watch or Listen to My Conversation with Susie Larson
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More Than You Can Imagine by Susie Larson
Susie’s book More Than You Can Imagine is what started this entire conversation for me. If what we talked about in this episode spoke to you, I encourage you to read it.
About Susie Larson
Susie Larson is a bestselling author, national speaker, and host of the popular radio show Susie Larson Live on Faith Radio. She is the author of more than 20 books and devotionals, including More Than You Can Imagine and Waking Up to the Goodness of God.
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And remember, whatever you’re facing, go to God first.
With love in Christ,
Kim Dolan Leto
