Trusting God When You Need Him to Show Up Now - iBelieve Truth: A Devotional for Women - September 29, 2026
"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." - Psalm 46:1
Life presents us with numerous chances to practice trusting God. The beautiful part of growing up and growing older is that God offers us a well of memories that teach us about his unfailing faithfulness.
Our youngest daughter spent two months in the NICU while in foster care. Shortly after being born, she was left all alone, fighting for her life. Before we met her, the only information my husband and I were given was that she was in the hospital and minimally responsive. The picture of her expected future was bleak.
When I heard of her status, I called a friend of mine who is a doctor and who had been a foster parent, and asked about her prognosis. Was it realistic to even consider opening our home to a child who likely has severe brain damage? Her advice was to walk away. She explained that if this child made it, she would be profoundly disabled, and given that we already had five kids, that would be more than we could manage as a family.
Nonetheless, our hearts immediately broke for this precious little one, and we went to the Lord with big, bold prayers. We knew that we needed God to show up on her behalf. We stood in the gap in prayer, asking the Lord to have mercy and offer her hope and a future. God was faithful to hear our cries and to see this brokenhearted infant who was left alone in her suffering. Miraculously, she survived and is thriving because God mercifully intervened.
She was our fourth foster placement, and we had already seen God show up in miraculous ways for each child who had entered our home, whether for a short time or a long one. It was this history of God’s faithfulness that inspired a bold belief that God could save this little one's life. We knew from the years of taking smaller steps of faith on behalf of these little ones that God loves these children. The little ones are never forgotten, no matter how difficult their entry into this world. Remembering what God has done is a vital way for our faith to grow!
When we encounter moments in which we confront our desperate need as humans, or when we come face-to-face with our utter dependence on the Divine for life and hope. Those are the times we must draw on our experiences and the stories of others to remind our souls not to give up. God can do abundantly above and beyond all that we can think, ask, or imagine. He will not ever leave us or forsake us. His strength is our ever-present help in trouble. We can trust him as we journey through the mountaintop moments of life and as we struggle through the valley of the shadow of death.
Those are the scriptures, the mantras, the prayers, and the hope we can cling to when we need Him to show up. The enemy of our souls wants to discourage us and lead us to believe that what we see is always what we get. Jesus is always inviting us to trust Him, to expect more than is possible in our stories, and to offer Him our mustard seed of faith. He can move mountains for us.
Let’s pray ...
Father,
I thank you for being able to move mountains for me. You promise to never leave me or forsake me. Your strength is always available to me when I feel weak. Today, God, I need you to show up in my story. To do abundantly above and beyond all I could think or imagine. Pour your mercy out onto my story. Show me your way forward; comfort me with your presence. Carry me through this difficult season. Help me to remember your faithfulness, how you’ve always shown up for me. I choose to trust you even in this storm. I know your grace is sufficient for my need. Do what only you can do.
Amen.
What truth from today’s devotional is God using to encourage your heart? Share your reflection and join our conversation in the iBelieve Truth Devotional Forum.
Feel like digging a little deeper? Here is a wonderful resource to meet you right where you are. 9 Prayers to Gain a Heart for Heaven + Daily Prayer Journal
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