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In 1988, Jerry Bridges released a book called "Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts." This book explored what it truly means to rely on God's wisdom and sovereignty when our lives feel overwhelming or directionless. Jerry Bridges didn’t write from a place of easy answers; instead, he drew from his own personal struggles. He spent years wrestling with adversity, and that journey led him to study the Bible’s teachings on God’s control over all things. He concluded that trust in God is grounded in three key truths: God always wills what is best for us, He always knows what is best, and He has the power to make it happen. Those ideas shaped the memorable line: "God in His love always wills what is best for us. In His wisdom He always knows what is best. In His sovereignty He has the power to bring it about." This statement doesn’t ignore pain or confusion. It explains that trust isn’t about pretending to be strong, but about believing God’s character even when emotions are all over the place.
Sixteen years after Bridges, Anne Graham Lotz published "Why? Trusting God When You Don't Understand" in 2004. Anne is the daughter of Billy Graham, and she built her message around her own experiences of hardship. She faced a series of deeply personal trials, including the aftermath of natural disasters and serious health crises in her family. These weren’t abstract difficulties; they were real-life moments that left her confused and searching for answers. Her writing emphasizes that God’s presence doesn’t always remove pain, but it does meet us right in the middle of it. Anne points to this promise: "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." These words don’t erase the hard questions, but they remind readers that God has not forgotten them, even when life feels stalled or stuck.
Mark Vroegop, a pastor and author, added another dimension to this conversation in 2024 with the release of "Waiting Isn’t a Waste: The Surprising Comfort of Trusting God in the Uncertainties of Life." Vroegop focused on the spiritual discipline of waiting, an aspect often overlooked in modern discussions of faith. He suggests that waiting, with all its uncertainty and discomfort, is not a pointless delay but a purposeful season. According to his research, these times can deepen trust in God because they strip away the illusion that we control outcomes. Vroegop’s message is that spiritual growth often happens when visible progress is lacking, and that trust is forged in patience rather than quick solutions.
Jerry Bridges’ own journey began with adversity that forced him to ask hard questions about God’s control and care. He responded by systematically studying passages in the Bible that addressed suffering and sovereignty. This led him to present trust as a decision rooted in who God is, not in how we feel on a particular day. He underscores that God’s sovereignty means nothing in the universe, no circumstance or setback, is beyond God’s ability to redeem or guide. This understanding provided him stability when emotions ran high or answers felt far away.
Anne Graham Lotz’s narrative is shaped by tangible, painful loss and fear. After experiencing natural disasters and serious illness in her family, she refused to gloss over the reality of grief. Instead, her book argues that God’s faithfulness is not always proven by immediate rescue or relief. She describes moments of praying, waiting, and still feeling as if nothing changed. Yet, she draws strength from biblical promises that declare God’s nearness and ongoing work “behind the scenes.” For her, trusting God meant showing up, day after day, with her questions and her hope.
Mark Vroegop’s work turns the focus to the purpose hidden inside delays and disappointments. He uses stories from the Bible and contemporary life to show that waiting seasons are not wasted seasons. He writes that when believers wait and the outcome is unclear, they are invited to acknowledge God in all their ways, as stated in Proverbs 3:5-6. The mechanism here is surrender: rather than leaning on their own understanding, readers are encouraged to trust that God will direct their path, even when they cannot see the next step.
The Book of Proverbs 3:5-6 gives the instruction: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your path." This biblical passage doesn’t promise an absence of confusion or struggle. Instead, it lays out a process—trust involves a deliberate shift from self-reliance to recognizing God’s presence and guidance in every situation. This shift is mechanical, not emotional: the passage says to acknowledge God in all, not just when it feels easy.
The Book of Isaiah 41:10 speaks directly to fear and anxiety with the words: “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 uphold you with my righteous right hand.” The cause of comfort here is God’s promise of presence and active support. The passage doesn’t say you won’t feel afraid; it says God will meet you in that fear and give you strength that doesn’t depend on your own resources.
John Piper, an influential pastor and author, has summarized the relationship between action and faith by saying: "Use means, but don’t trust in means; trust in God." This statement clarifies that while believers are called to take practical steps—praying, seeking help, working through difficult relationships—their ultimate confidence should rest on God, not on their own strategies or efforts. The effect of following this advice is a sense of peace, even when results are slow or solutions are unclear.
Jon Bloom, another Christian writer, has observed: "To be brought to a place where God is our only real hope is a merciful experience." Bloom points out that when all other supports are removed, what feels like loss can actually reveal the reality of God’s sufficiency. The mechanism here is that lack and emptiness create space for dependence on God, which can become the foundation for new growth and trust.
Jerry Bridges’ deep investigation into God’s sovereignty emerged from his personal hardships, leading him to see trust as a choice made amid pain rather than after pain has passed. Anne Graham Lotz’s confrontation with disaster and illness guided her to conclude that God’s faithfulness is often experienced most clearly within suffering, not outside of it. Mark Vroegop’s emphasis on waiting reframes seasons of “nothing happening” as periods where God is quietly but powerfully at work.
All three authors—Bridges, Lotz, and Vroegop—found their convictions not in ease, but in adversity. They each produce evidence from their own lives and biblical study that God directs paths, strengthens hearts, and works for good, regardless of how heavy or confusing life becomes. Their stories and teachings serve as reminders that delay and difficulty do not equal abandonment, and that God’s activity is not limited by our current understanding or emotional state.
Mark Vroegop’s 2024 book introduced the idea that waiting can be the soil where trust grows deepest, challenging the assumption that visible change is always the sign of God’s work. His focus on patience, and on God’s presence in uncertainty, broadens the definition of trust beyond what we see or feel.