How to Trust God Even When Life Doesn’t Make Sense: 3 Things That Help Me

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Do you have one thing in your life that just doesn’t make sense? I do.

Right now, I’m honestly enjoying life. But there’s one part I can’t figure out. I’m sincerely following Jesus. I made a big decision after a lot of prayer and wise counsel. And some people I love completely cut me off because they disagreed with it. They didn’t just disagree. They withdrew the relationship.

Wow.

I won’t go into the details. It’s real, and it’s still going on. But I’ve had to learn how to trust God even when life doesn’t make sense, and I want to share what’s helping me.

Prefer to listen? Hear Lydia and me talk through this post on the podcast (9 min).

Why This Matters

I think most of us have at least one area like this. You’ve done everything you can. You’ve prayed. You’ve tried. And nothing has changed.

The relationship is still broken. The healing hasn’t come. There still isn’t enough money. Fill in your own blank.

I don’t know what you’re going through. But I know this: God cares, He loves you, and He is working.

Here’s the one idea I want you to take away: when life doesn’t make sense, stop trying to figure it out alone. Bring it to Jesus. These three things are how I do that, from ten minutes to a whole weekend.

1. Pray Through This 10-Minute Video

Start small. Start today.

I found this video when I needed it: Pray THIS When You’re Tired of Trying to Make Sense of It All from Christ Centered Tribe. It’s a 10-minute guided prayer and meditation. (I’ve written before about how I start and end my day with their guided Christian meditations.)

Here’s how I’d use it:

• Tell Him your story. All of it. He already knows, but He wants to hear it from you.
• Ask Him to comfort you. You don’t have to pretend you’re fine.
• Ask Him to direct you. According to His Word, and through His Spirit.

Proverbs 3:5–6 says it plainly: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Notice it doesn’t say you’ll understand. It says He’ll make your path straight.

2. Take a Personal Retreat

This one has changed my life more than once.

I got the idea from Bob Sorge’s book Secrets of the Secret Place. Sorge is a big advocate of prayer retreats, and every time I’ve taken one, God has spoken to me in significant ways.

Here’s how I do it:

• Go somewhere you can be alone. Ideally in nature.
• Take only your Bible and your journal. Leave everything else behind.
• Decompress. Read the Word. Spend time with Jesus. That’s it.

Pro tip: Add a water fast. It makes it even better. Sorge recommends water only, if you can.

I’m not a doctor, and this isn’t medical advice. If you’ve never fasted or have any health conditions, talk to your doctor before trying a water fast.

3. Do a Walk to Emmaus or Tres Dias Weekend

If you need more than a day, go all in.

Years ago, I did a Tres Dias weekend, and it was amazing. For three days, you’re completely focused on Jesus. And people from around the world are praying for you the entire time, even while you sleep.

The Walk to Emmaus is a similar three-day weekend. Both are open to Christians from many different churches.

There’s one catch: you need a sponsor. If you don’t know anyone who’s been, don’t let that stop you.

• For Walk to Emmaus: Use the Emmaus Community Finder to find a community near you. Reach out to someone there. They can help you think about attending and find a sponsor.
• For Tres Dias: Email the home office at tresdias@tresdias.org and ask how to connect with a community near you.

Be honest with them. Tell them you’re going through something that doesn’t make sense and you want to get closer to Jesus. That’s exactly who these weekends are for.

If It Concerns You, It Concerns Him

As I heard it said once, “If it concerns you, it concerns Him.”

That changed how I see my one thing. I used to think I had to solve it before I could have peace. I don’t. 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

The peace doesn’t come from figuring it out. It comes from handing it over. That’s what trusting God when it doesn’t make sense really looks like.

Let’s Bring Back “Agree to Disagree”

Situations like mine seem all too common right now. There’s even a name for it: cancel culture. Someone disagrees with you, and instead of working through it, they just cut you off.

I’d like to bring back an old practice instead: let’s agree to disagree.

That simple phrase says something powerful. It says, I value our relationship too much to let our disagreement on this issue come between us.

Years ago, a friend and I strongly disagreed about income taxes. Not a little. Strongly. And we just decided to agree to disagree. That was it. The relationship was preserved, and I’m still grateful for it.

Romans 12:18 puts it this way: “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

You can’t control what anyone else does. But you can decide what you’ll do. So if you’re ever tempted to cut someone off over a disagreement, try those four words first.

Bottom Line: Trust God Even When Life Doesn’t Make Sense

You don’t have to understand it to trust Him. Start with the 10-minute video today. Plan a personal retreat. And if you need more, look into a Walk to Emmaus or Tres Dias weekend.

So back to that one thing that doesn’t make sense. Mine still doesn’t. But I’m not carrying it alone anymore. You don’t have to either.

Pro tip: If posts like this help, subscribe here and choose Faith or any categories you want. I’ll skip the rest.

What do you do when something in your life doesn’t make sense? I’d love to hear it.

You Might Also Like

• Transform Your Day with Guided Christian Meditation
• 7 Powerful Prayers for All Situations
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