{{item.title | uppercase}}

Losing a spouse is an incredibly challenging and painful experience. The journey through widowhood is fraught with grief, loneliness, and uncertainty. Fear and worry can become our companions along the way. However, during these difficult times, there is a source of comfort and strength that transcends all understanding—the unwavering love and faithfulness of the Lord.

If there were a Worrier Support Group I would be its charter member!

Coupled with an innate desire to fix everything, my worrying often spirals into a cycle of anxiety and helplessness. Despite my understanding of God’s faithfulness, each new trial, particularly the heart-wrenching experience of widowhood, becomes a litmus test for the endurance of my trust in Him.

I find myself facing another trial that puts my trust in the Lord to the test. Despite enduring numerous trials in the past, you might expect that trust would become ingrained in the muscle memory of my mind and heart. I guess I am a slow learner but I am grateful that the Lord is patient with me.

Why is easier to fear than to trust?

Predictably, my first response was to succumb to worry, allowing fear to intensify my anxious thoughts. Fear, a weapon wielded by the enemy, seeks to cripple and dismantle our trust in the Lord. It prompts us to question God’s promises, His sovereignty, and His love for us. The Apostle Paul’s words in 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV) remind us,

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

Despite my initial retreat into the clutches of worry and fear, I sought refuge in the Lord. With great distress, taking all of my fears and worries to the Lord, I laid them at His feet…and then I picked them back up again.

The Lord is faithful

This struggle between worry and trust continued for a week. During my daily prayer time, I frantically searched for the magic words that would move the hands of God on our behalf. And then one night while reading my evening devotions, this scripture jumped out at me.

…your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.
Matthew 6:8 (NKJV)

The realization dawned on me that I didn’t need to find some magical words to move the hands of God; He already knew my needs even before they left my lips.

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God
Psalm 42:5 (NIV)

Over the following weeks, the Lord surrounded me with messages of hope and memories of His faithfulness. Worry, fear, and trust in the Lord were all recurring themes in the scriptures and devotions I read, messages from my pastor, radio broadcasts, quotes on Facebook, and even a license plate bearing the word “Believe.”

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will hold onto you with my righteous right hand.”
Isaiah 41:10 (CSB)

The words in Isaiah jumped off the page as though God was speaking them to me in an audible voice. I began to feel my worry and fear scatter and my trust in the Lord rise! An overwhelming, indescribable peace washed over me. My family was safe in God’s hands! I don’t know the outcome of this trial but I know God is with us, loves us, and will provide all that we need.

Trust in the Lord!

Navigating the path of widowhood is undoubtedly difficult, but in the midst of sorrow and uncertainty, there is a source of unwavering comfort—the Lord. By trusting in His presence, surrendering worries through prayer, and relying on the promises found in scripture, we can find solace and strength. As Psalm 46:1 (NIV) beautifully expresses,

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”

Dear sisters, I don’t know what makes you worry or have fear but I pray that these words and the words of Scripture will serve as a beacon of hope, guiding you to trust in the Lord and find peace in His everlasting love.

Lord, thank you for being present in our lives; and for knowing what we need before we do. May your love and faithfulness in the past remind us and strengthen us to trust You for the future.