Psalm 31:19-20 How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you. In the shelter of your presence you hide them from the intrigues of men; in your dwelling you keep them safe from accusing tongues.

At some point in your life, and perhaps repeatedly, you will have the opportunity to test whether you believe these words from Psalm 31. It will be in what seems to be your darkest hour. Can you in that situation believe that God is good? Notice that in this instance his goodness is toward those who fear him and to those who will take refuge in him.

Jesus did not give his disciples the impression that their path would be smooth. Rather he told them quite plainly: “…In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33). Jesus gave them this assurance based on the fact that God the Father loved them because they had reverenced his Son and believed that God had sent him. So if you believe God in this way, the secret is to run to Him when trouble comes. We can learn a lot from little children. When they are hurt or something goes amiss, what do they do? They run to mommy or daddy. Oh that as believers we would do the same! And they don’t run to Mom and Dad with heads down looking at the parents’ feet they come looking into their eyes. Invariably the parent’s eyes are looking in kindness at them and arms are opened wide to provide shelter and solace until they recover.

A believer is expected to recover from hardship because you trust in the God of the impossible. Find encouragement in Proverbs 24:15-16 which is an injunction against any would-be adversary to the righteous: “Do not lie in wait like an outlaw against a righteous man’s house, do not raid his dwelling place; for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again…” You can rise again because your Father’s goodness is stored up for you. Spend time in His presence.