“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” – James 1:2-8
Trials have a way of exposing what is truly settled in our hearts. Not if they come, but when they come. As James makes clear, they reveal whether we actually trust God or if we are quietly placing our confidence in something else.
I have found that in those moments, I am not usually searching for more information. I am wrestling with whether I truly believe He is who He has said He is, and whether I will allow that belief to shape my response when life does not unfold as I had hoped. When circumstances press in, doubt is never far behind.
Doubt is not always loud or obvious. Sometimes it whispers: Is God really good in this? Is He aware of what this feels like? Is He actually in control? And if I am not anchored in the truth of who God is, I can quickly become, as James describes, “like a wave of the sea—driven and tossed by the wind.”
This is why what we believe about God matters so deeply.
If I do not believe He is holy, I will try to measure His ways by my understanding.
If I do not believe He is good, I will question His heart.
And if I do not believe He is sovereign, I will fear things are slipping beyond His control.
But when those truths are settled, when I know He is holy, good, and over it all, I can stand firm. Not because I understand everything, but because I trust the One who does.
The God Who Is Set Apart
God’s holiness is not just one of His attributes; it is the defining reality of who He is.
He is completely set apart. There is no one like Him and He is without comparison (1 Samuel 2:2). He is not merely a better version of us. He is altogether different. His holiness is not something we need to shrink down to understand. It is a truth meant to steady us.
His holiness means He is not limited by our perspective, emotions, or circumstances. He is not reactive or uncertain. He is perfectly pure and completely consistent. Everything He does flows from who He is which is unchanging and entirely right.
This is where His holiness becomes deeply personal. If God were shifting or influenced by pressure as we are, we would have reason to question Him. But because He is holy, He is altogether trustworthy. His ways are not shaped by impulse or imperfection, but by a nature that cannot fail. When Isaiah encountered God’s holiness, his response was not to analyze but to surrender: “Woe is me, For I am lost…a man of unclean lips”(Isaiah 6:5). That is what God’s holiness does; it reminds us that He is God, and we are not. His holiness means that even when we do not understand His ways, we can trust His heart. And when trials come, that truth becomes an anchor for our souls.
The God Who Is Good
If God is set apart in His holiness, He is unwavering in His goodness. This is often where our faith is tested most. When life is difficult, we are tempted to question whether God is truly good.
But His goodness is not measured by our comfort; it is grounded in His character.
The psalmist declares that God’s way is perfect (Psalm 18:30). He never missteps or makes a mistake. He always knows what is best, even when we cannot yet see it.
We see this in the story of Israel. Their disobedience caused delay, but it did not derail God’s purposes. He still brought them into the land He promised. What God plans, He accomplishes.
God’s goodness is not fragile—it is steadfast. He is always at work, even in difficult circumstances, for His glory and for the good of those who trust Him (Romans 8:28). His love is both personal and purposeful. He calls us His children (1 John 3:1) and has demonstrated that love fully in Christ (John 15:13, Romans 5:8). God’s goodness is not disconnected and distant. It is active, pursuing, and transforming, motivated by perfect love. This is why we know that even in suffering, His goodness remains.
This echoes loudly in the words of Corrie Ten Boom’s sister before she died in a Nazi concentration camp: “There is no pit so deep that God is not deeper still.” That is the kind of goodness that meets us in the darkest of places and carries us through.
The God Who Is Over It All
Beneath both His holiness and His goodness is a truth that steadies everything: God is sovereign.
He is completely independent, the ruler of all, answering to no one. He declares the end from the beginning, and His purposes always stand (Isaiah 46:10). Nothing surprises Him or threatens His rule. Because He is sovereign, He is never reacting. He is always reigning.
Scripture reminds us that all things are from Him, through Him, and to Him (Romans 11:36), and in Him all things hold together (Colossians 1:17). What we see and what we cannot see are equally under His authority. This means our lives are never outside His care.
It also means we are not without responsibility. We live within time, making real choices for which we will give an account (Hebrews 4:13). Yet even within that, God’s sovereignty remains intact. Our obedience does not secure His control; it aligns us with it. This is where trust becomes essential. When I hesitate, it is often because I am trying to calculate outcomes only God can see. But He is not asking me to understand everything; He is asking me to trust Him in all things. And trust always precedes obedience.
When trust takes root, obedience becomes less about striving and more about surrender. I move forward not trying to secure my own outcome, but confident that I am walking within His.
Living in the Tension
As believers, we live in a sacred tension.
God draws near to us in love, yet He reigns in absolute authority. He comforts us while also refining us. This tension is not for us to fix or figure out, but something to embrace. Because when we do, we find deep assurance.
Our sorrow is never outside His sovereignty. Our trials are never without purpose. And our lives are never beyond His reach. So when difficulties come, we have a choice. We can allow them to push us toward doubt, or we can allow them to press us deeper into the truth of who He is: holy, good, and in control. When we choose the latter, something shifts. We stop pursuing comfort and begin pursuing the Comforter. We begin to trust what He allows because we trust who He is. In that place, obedience becomes simpler, not because life is easier, but because our trust is deeper.
We are held steady by the unshakable truth that we are held by an unshakable God. And there is no safer place to be than in His holy, good, and sovereign hands.
