When life hits you in the face, it’s normal (and wise) to look for comfort. As Christians, that usually means searching in two places: God’s presence and God’s word.
Trials will require you to shift your focus. Instead of looking all around you, of living in fear of your circumstances, you can look to the God who holds you. That begins with recognizing who God is.
And there are so many places you can go in God’s word to find His comfort and peace in any storm. His word is given to us as the rock to build our lives upon. We can turn to it when life happens and seek relief.
To help you, here are nine verses from selected psalms that offer comfort in the midst of trials:
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Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge. – Psalm 16:1
Remember God is your refuge. This word can mean a place to seek shelter and protection and it can also mean to put your trust in. In either definition, it is appropriate for your situation.
Whether you are seeking protection, or you need to trust God, he will be your refuge. No matter how difficult the trouble gets—you have safety in a God who will protect you through them.
Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. – Psalm 16:5-6
When life happens, one of the things it reveals is the reliability of your foundation. Who are you really trusting in? David wants to remind you that even in life’s craziest moments The Lord is who you trust in. He is the one who makes your footing secure. Let Psalm 16 remind you of this, especially in the middle of the storms.
I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. – Psalm 16:7-8
This is a reminder that regardless of what happens, you will not be shaken. God will not only direct you, but more importantly, he will remain at your right hand. He will stand beside you and will not desert you. You simply have one responsibility: keep your eyes on the Lord.
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Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. – Psalm 16:9-11
This is another important part of your genuine search for comfort from God through difficulties: an attitude of praise that leads to a heart of rejoicing. Praise is a great way to walk through life’s inevitable storms because you are continually shifting your eyes to God...who will walk with you through the trial.
I love you, Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. – Psalm 18:1-2
Don’t you just love the images of God you find in these two verses? God is your strength, your rock, your fortress, your deliverer, your refuge, your shield, the horn of your salvation, and your stronghold. These are certainly reasons to rejoice!
No wonder David, before listing all these things, began Psalm 18 by saying Lord, I love you. His confidence and his adoration was in our strong God who he knew would comfort him in the midst of his trials.
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I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies.
The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears. – Psalm 18:3, Psalm 18:5-6
The beauty of God is he not only has the power to save, he actually saves.
David is reminding you that you can call upon a God who will answer you when you call. David called out to God and cried out for his help and the Lord heard him and saved him.
He will do the same for you.
He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me – Psalm 18:16-17
I love the imagery here, because I get a picture of a person drowning...about to go under...and God is reaching down to pull them out, before the waters overtake them. This is a reminder that regardless of how deep the situation, God can and will rescue you. This is one reason you can continually turn to the psalms for comfort.
In the midst of trials, and David had many of them, there are so many verses of comfort to remind you of who God is.
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May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion. – Psalm 20:2
What is beautiful about this verse is the direction where your help and comfort will come from. Your support will come from God’s sanctuary. This means that the comfort that you need is flowing out of his never-ending supply.
It doesn’t matter how much comfort you need, or how often you need it, there will always be more than enough for you. You can never overdraw the account or max out his support for you.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm. – Psalm 20:7-8
What hope would you get from serving a God who cannot be trusted? What good would his promises be if he never made good on them? How could you find safety and security in a God that would not protect you or would let you fall?
The good news is you don’t have to worry about that—because God can be trusted.
I know the trials and pain of life are real. Like you, I have experienced them, and I know they don’t feel good. That’s why I love the truth you can find when you turn to the psalms for comfort. In the midst of their trials, David and the other psalmists were reminding us of the wonderful God we serve.
There are so many wonderful Psalms you can turn to...way more than the verses offered here. My prayer is that you would find joy in searching through the Psalms to find comfort in the midst of every trial you face.
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