Have you ever been in a situation that suddenly imploded on itself and fell apart without warning? Life is unpredictable sometimes; things can be great one minute and scary the next. If we rely solely on ourselves to accomplish our goals without any guidance from someone stronger and wiser than us, we won’t get very far without running into real trouble. Thankfully for us, this “someone” isn’t just some fuzzy concept, but a God who knows exactly what we go through every day of our lives.

When everything goes terribly wrong, we don’t have to struggle with the situation on our own; God is waiting to step in and get involved. Jesus is in our corner, and wants to intercede on our behalf. “Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help” (Hebrews 4:14-16, MSG). Jesus has been through everything we’re going through and experienced everything we’re struggling with; He promises to deliver us from trouble. Trusting Him when our back is against the wall turns failure into success.

No matter how scary the situation appears, looks can be deceiving. When Peter saw Jesus walking on water and trusted Him enough to get out of the boat and do the same, Peter gained the ability to overcome what looked impossible. That ability came from God, but when Peter became afraid and stopped trusting Jesus, he sunk. “And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, it is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” (Matthew 14:26-31).

When the storms of life threaten to drown us—and they will threaten—it takes courage to seek out God’s direction on what to do.  Having faith in God means trusting in Him, even if what we hear from Him doesn’t make sense at first. When God tested Abraham’s faith by telling Abraham to sacrifice his son, Abraham trusted God (Genesis 22:1-13). God took him out of a nightmarish situation and turned the bad into good; He continues to do this even now.

Disaster can show up unannounced in our lives at any time and in any form, but there’s no reason to walk in fear. The Bible commands that we overcome fear and other destructive emotions; accepting by faith what God says to us empowers us to do just that. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5, 6). Asking God for help gives Him the opportunity to show us what He can do.