Life has a way of continually bringing us back to a humble place of being on our knees. We are high, then we are low. We are up, then we are down. We are hopeful, then the wind gets knocked right out of us. Think about the ups and downs of life – while we’re desperate for things to level out, the true design of life is in the roller coaster ride. It is in our heartbeat. Look at heartbeat, when the ups and downs end, it’s a flatline. A flatline is the end of life. You were designed for the ups and the downs. The flatline you sometimes desire isn’t life at all. As long as you’re living, this will be a ride.

There are some things in life we simply can’t fix, we can’t control and we didn’t see them coming. And although they are out of our control, we still have a choice. We have a choice to keep trusting God.

Do you have a down in your life right now? An uncertainty, a hardship or struggle, a situation that’s left you seeking answers and solutions. Maybe it’s the very thing that brought you to this devotional today. Think of this “down” in your life. Hold this situation in the forefront of your mind. I likely don’t even have to tell you to do that, you’ve already hurt over it this morning. You’ve already worried about it, prayed about it, felt frustrated over it.

The question is, will you keep trusting God in this?

Psalm 31:14 But I am trusting you, O Lord, saying “you are my God.”

BUT I am trusting you. Before this verse is an entire chapter of all that is going wrong in the author’s life. He is sad, he is frightened, he is being threatened, and his very life is at stake BUT. BUT, in spite of it all, I am trusting God.

Let’s go back to your “down” now. That hardship or struggle. Now is the time for your BUT. God, this sucks, it’s not fair, I don’t understand it, I’m upset, I’m hurt, I’m afraid … BUT. BUT I am trusting you. You are my God!

We like to live without the need for a BUT. Wouldn’t we love the opportunity to have the next 40 years of stress free, care free life, guaranteed to go exactly as planned. Come on God, no more downs. Let’s just stay at the top of this ride. Let all my goals be reached with minimal effort. I’m looking for easy. Yes, that’s it. Let’s just make life easy God.

And God in all his wisdom knows that without the struggle, without the uncertainty, without the dark times, we would eventually stop needing him. We would become full of ourselves living under our own power.

Know that every hurt and struggle you face today may not have been orchestrated by God, but it has been allowed by him. As his child, nothing can touch you without first going through the Father. Nothing comes as a surprise to him and he uses even the attacks of the enemy and Satan’s ugly schemes to simply bring you back to him. Back to God. Back to your creator. Back to your father.

Perhaps today is the day for you to say, this is not what I expected. This is not what I hoped for. I am frustrated and disappointed. I am angry, I am hurt …. BUT I AM TRUSTING YOU O LORD. I choose to say YOU ARE MY GOD.

Imagine standing before a fork in the road. You have a choice to make. You go left, or you go right. One way is to try and handle everything on your own. Keep it together, pick yourself up, and muster up enough strength to just make it through today. It’s a heavy load carrying that bitterness, that anger, and that hurt, but you’ve kindof gotten used to it.

That is one way. But there’s another way. This fork in the road presents another option. An option of opening your hands, dropping your heavy load and saying I trust you O Lord, you are my God …. now carry me. Carry me through this grief. Carry me through this trouble. Protect my heart and mind. Strengthen me with your power as I trust in you. I walk this path with you. I choose you. I choose to cling to you. I won’t try and do this on my own for one more day. Not for one more moment.

Do you desperately need God today? Well I’m so sorry for the situation that has brought you to a place of desperation, but I’m grateful for what will follow. This is where God comes running right to you, sweeps you up in his mighty arms and carries you. Allow yourself to desperately cry out to him. Trust him. He will come running in this very moment.

The truth is, regardless of being in the down time, or the up time, we all desperately need God. Sometimes we just realize it more. This life is a series of ups and downs, times of success and times of struggle. And our God is sovereign over it all!