20 Scriptures to Help You Have Faith in God When the World Feels Upside Down
- Jennifer Heeren Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer
- Updated Feb 05, 2021
Your world will feel upside down if you are a Bible-believing Christian because God’s Word and His ideals are very different from our current world’s views. On top of that, life also has a way of continually changing. Nothing is always the same and this can throw anybody off balance. Life will never be perfect. There will always be conflicts and disruptions. You can’t always be happy because happiness depends on circumstances.
What Does it Mean to Have Faith in God?
To have faith in God means you believe that God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son and by believing you gain eternal life with God (John 3:16). Consequently, if He provided for your soul’s salvation, you can also trust that He will guide you in your life. He loves you and wants to shepherd you.
20 Scriptures to Help You Have Faith in God
1. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28
Take a moment to remember that God’s character is essentially good. He loves you and went to great lengths to have an eternal relationship with you. You can trust His plan even when you don’t understand the how’s and why’s.
2. You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand! Psalm 139:5-6
Not only is God essentially good, He also has a hand of blessing on your head. He does things behind the scenes that you may never see.
3. Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. James 1:2-4
When testing comes, and it will, it builds your endurance. Endurance brings great strength when you let it shape your character. You can trust that God is at work even when you are struggling.
4. Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6
Your own understanding will fail you most of the time. You can never see all sides of every situation. You have a limited scope. But God in time can show you left, right, top, bottom, and even inside the problem. Your perspective is vast when you trust in God to show you His way.
5. So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. 1 Peter 5:6
Humble yourself by realizing that Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. Keep learning from His Word because you know that His way is much better than your way. God gives much grace when you react with humility in your daily interactions.
6. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:9
God always brings what is meant to be. It is always good to remind yourself that He is God and you are not.
7. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. Ephesians 3:18
Strive to always learn more about God’s love. Reading your Bible regularly helps you to understand just how wide, long, high, and deep God’s love really is. God’s love will never ever run out.
8. So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. For we live by believing and not by seeing. 2 Corinthians 5:6-7
Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.” John 20:29
Seeing things in this world that don’t make sense will be the norm until you reach your real home—eternity with a loving and gracious God. Trusting God’s character when you haven’t seen Him with your eyes is a very precious and blessed thing.
9. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Philippians 2:5-8
Unselfishness is a life-long endeavor. It’s not always easy but with God’s help, you can think of others as more important than yourself. When you do, you also find that a lot of your needs are miraculously filled as well. God helps you as you help others. The more you seek to have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had, the more you experience His joy. He came to serve others.
10. Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Galatians 6:7
You often see people living in ways that are the opposite of how our God wants us to live. People don’t understand. They get hurt and bitter. And unfortunately, they also can lash out in evil ways. But God sees every offense against His perfect justice. Even when people seem to get away with something, one day they will see judgment. You don’t have to see the judgment, but you can know God will come through with it.
11. Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets. Matthew 7:12
Instead of worrying about your trials, live your life by the golden rule. Spend so much time seeking to help others that you forget about your own troubles. There’s something about serving others that minimizes your own problems.
12. For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake. 1 Peter 1:18-20
When you trusted Christ as your Lord and Savior, you were redeemed with His precious blood. That is what gives you worth as well as the power to walk through this life with a great hope enveloping you. God gladly paid a very high price for your salvation.
13. God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. Matthew 5:3-5
When you feel weak, God is right there with you. The world says, fake it ‘til you make it and hide your weaknesses. God says come as you are and be your true self, weaknesses and all. You can be transparent and real with God. When you are, He makes up for your weaknesses by giving you His strength.
14. Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8
Faith can open doors, so always keep praying. The world says, give up if you try something that doesn’t work out. God says to keep on asking. You will either get what you want in God’s timing or you’ll get insight as to what you really need.
15. Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm. The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!” Matthew 8:26-27
Quench your worries with the thought that you have the One who can command the winds and the waves always at your side. Be amazed at this truth.
16. Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves. But beware! For you will be handed over to the courts and will be flogged with whips in the synagogues. You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. But this will be your opportunity to tell the rulers and other unbelievers about me. Matthew 10:16-18
God sends you out to fight with His truth and love. That doesn’t seem like enough when you’re up against people who may behave like wolves and snakes. God’s people play by the rules because that is God’s way, but non-believing people don’t have those statutes. This can make them seem overpowering, but God will do things to even the playing field when we trust Him and obey.
17. Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword. I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. Your enemies will be right in your own household! Matthew 10:34-36
You may find that there is division within your own family. Some believe. Some don’t. Ideals of dark and light clash. This is deeper than simply a personality problem. This requires prayer. Pray that their heart will soften. No one is beyond the reach of God.
18. Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
Worries weigh us down, but Christ offers to take all of them for us. We just have to give up our tight grip of control and let Him lighten our load.
19. Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone[i] who sins against me? Seven times?” “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!” Matthew 18:21-22
People tend to think that certain things are too much and shouldn’t be forgiven. They will say “Unfriend them” or “Cancel them,” anything but forgive them. God says to forgive so many times that you lose count. Forgiveness is meant for people to release all the bad things that are done to them, whether or not the person apologizes. God will make up for the wrongs you see or experience.
20. I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
The biggest reason to have faith in the midst of trials is that Jesus has already won the ultimate war and He will help you walk through your battles until you see Him face to face. He won’t leave you nor forsake you.
How Having Faith in God Changes Your Worldview
When you have a biblical faith in God you become aware of how humanity falls short in comparison to God’s standard. You see evil and its effects everywhere, including your own life. This causes you to pray for God’s will to be lived out everywhere because you know that humanity often messes things up.
When your life feels upside down, rejoice because this means that you are living and thinking differently from the world. You are thinking more in line with God. So really, you are living right side up while the world is living upside down.
Photo Credit: ©Getty/Images/Anastasiia Stiahailo
