(May 29, 2025) Robert and Maureen McQuillan encourage troubled hearts…

Well… be comforted in that you’re not the only one! Recently we’ve encouraging a number of believers to hang in there and not give their faith away just because they’re going through some rough times.

We also reminded them that for some three years Satan, our great enemy, has been spreading a cunning spirit of deception among us— and that sadly some have fallen for his trickery.

Then we stun them by challenging them to know that God hasn’t finished trusting them! Yes, you may be finding it difficult to trust God but He hasn’t turned His back on you! Know it… believe it with your mind… and heart!

And know also that if God is to trust us, He may allow us to be challenged in some way— even by Himself— as happened with some biblical individuals.

Downfall: Adam and Eve
God gave them freedom of choice, trusting that they’d discover more about Him and His earthly creation— and life itself. And that they’d make right decisions, which began with Adam looking after the garden of Eden and naming everything he found (Genesis 2:15,19-20a). God only asked one major thing of Adam… that he didn’t eat of a particular tree (Genesis 2:17 and obviously Eve at some point… Genesis 3:2-3).

But along came Satan with his deceiving cunningness and beguiled Eve to partake of the forbidden fruit. Quietly and craftily he suggested ‘Did God really say…?’ (v1). TLB reads— ‘Really?… None of the fruit…? God says you mustn’t eat any of it?’ And then ‘You will not certainly die’(v4).

You know what happened— Eve tasted the fruit, liked it and broke God’s command! Sin hit the world and, as they say in the classics, the rest is history!

Now a lot of blame has been dumped on Eve… and since then women in general! But guys, don’t go blaming poor Eve! Verse 6 says that Adam ‘was with her.’  The reality is that he failed his wife… and his God! He should have guarded Eve from Satan’s deceits, but instead he failed that particular test to keep God’s command.

Yes, Adam and Eve had to leave Eden… but our loving God didn’t write them off! They would discover more.

Decision: Abraham
Now here’s an incident not about rejecting some tasty fruit, but about trusting Almighty God to provide some sort of miracle… this was a much, much, much harder test!

Abraham too was challenged regarding hearing and obeying God’s command. And boy oh boy was his test an extremely hard one— ‘Sacrifice your son’ (Genesis 22:1-2)! Can you picture Abraham gulping and then shaking his head, trying to clear his ears and wondering if he was hearing things?

But he knew he hadn’t been hearing things, that he could trust His God to step in with a miraculous answer even at the last moment… ‘God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son’ (v8) he told young Isaac and proceeded as God had directed.

Verses following tell of his obedience… and trust in the Lord. And God did miraculously intervene saving Isaac’s life, proclaiming to Abraham that ‘Now I know how fearlessly you fear God; you didn’t hesitate…’ (v12Mge).

Abraham was to find the real intended sacrifice (v13) and then hear the incredible resulting promises of God for his willingness to trust His Lord, even in what must have been the most terrifying moment of his life (v15-18).

No wonder the bewildered but relieved  Abraham ‘called the place Adonai Yir’eh [Adonai will see (to it), Adonai provides]’ (v 14CJB… Complete Jewish Bible).

Thought here: And you think you have a problem! For that matter Maureen and I had some problems this week… but, with the Holy Spirit’s strong assistance and trusting our caring God, we’ve won through!

Determination: David
David is one of scripture’s most interesting characters. It’s believed that he wrote Psalm 26 when harassed by King Saul and, checking his attitude, welcomed, even invited, God to test him: ‘Put me on trial, Lord, and cross examine me. Test my motives and my heart’ (v2NLT).

At another time, David invited the Lord to ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you…’(Psalm 139:23-24).

Yes, David was human… although he so loved God and was again and again refilled with the Holy Spirit, he made mistakes and sinned at times. But he always wanted to move on following God and gaining eternity, determined not to give up!

David knew his God and trusted Him despite many problems— jealous brothers, spiteful Saul, enemies outside and inside the camp, his own lustfulness, a plotting son, and later ‘old age.’ And God trusted him, calling David ‘a man whose heart beats to my heart, a man who will do what I tell him’ (Acts 13:22Mge).

Again and again you can read of his intimate conversations with his loving God who blessed him so much and refreshed him with the powerful Holy Spirit! He trusted his God and God trusted him!

Declaration: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
Daniel 3 tells of the incredible trust in God of  three young men who had refused the king’s order to bow before a false God and were threatened with being cast into a stoked-up blazing furnace! Terrifying! (And we think we have problems!).

Yet they defiantly declared to the king was that they believed their God would rescue them! More amazing is that their trust in their God was so strong that they boldly further added: ‘Even if He doesn’t, it wouldn’t make a bit of difference’ (v18Mge)!

But God did rescue them leaving the king astounded. Verse 28Mge tells that he declared, ‘Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He… rescued His servants who trusted in Him! They ignored [my] orders… laid their bodies on the line rather than serve or worship any god but their own.’

Still concerned, troubled reader? Here’s the all-important word— ‘trusted.’ Those lads risked their lives in trusting God! What a testimony to those who don’t fully trust the Lord! The reality is that God is a rescuer— if we’ll trust Him! Trusting God releases Him into action!

Another thought: How are you feeling now? Has the above comforted you? Can you now really trust God? (For that matter, can you trust if Him He doesn’t ‘work things out’ immediately? Those three young men could and did!)

Decision: Mary and Joseph
And what about that young girl Mary who out-of-the-blue was told by an angel that she’s going to miraculously conceive a boy— the Son of God— by the power of God’s Holy Spirit? (Luke 1:35).

Now that was a case of ‘What? Can’t be! I’m a virgin, I’m engaged to be married to a nice guy… what’s he going to think? What…’

Verses 37-38NLT say that the angel adds that ‘… the word of God will never fail.’ Young Mary’s amazing response wasn’t what we’ve just typed but one of  ‘I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.’ What a declaration of trust regarding the unknown!

But what about young Joseph, her husband-to-be? His boat certainly was rocked when he learned of Mary’s condition! (And here again we add ‘And we think we’ve got troubles!’).

Matthew 1:18-25NLT tells that Joseph had an incredible dream in which an angel tells him not be afraid to take Mary as his wife, that her pregnancy is the fulfilment of the Isaiah 7:14 prophecy declares some 700 years ago.

And Matthews’ verse 34 tells the trusting God experience of both Joseph and Mary: ‘When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife.’

Trusting in scripture is the firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, and strength of someone in our case, the Lord Himself. A foundational element of faith, trust in God is our confidence and reliance on Him, His word and His promises. In other words it’s an action word!

Let’s consider one more biblical character who confidently trusted his God and His word—

Distress: Paul
Boy oh boy, did Paul have troubles! Entrusted by the Lord to be His chosen representative of the gospel… (Act 9:15 ) he would also enduremuch distress ‘hard suffering that goes with this job’ (v16Mge). 

In 2Corinthians 11:24-28 he shared some of the hardships he had accepted as being part of his calling—

• ‘… been in prison more frequently.
• Been flogged more severely.
• Been exposed to death again and again. 
• Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 
• Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones.
• Three times I was shipwrecked … spent a night and a day in the open sea. 
• I have been in danger from rivers … bandits … fellow Jews … Gentiles; in danger in the city …  the country … at sea … false believers. 
• I have laboured … toiled … have often gone without sleep.
• I have known hunger and thirst … often gone without food … been cold and naked. 
• Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.’ 

Yet his testimony was: ‘I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want’ (Philippians 4:11-12).  

And in verse 13 Paul tells how he can live contentedly despite his hassles: ‘I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.’ Message Bible reads ‘Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.’

To quote that old saying: ‘Things are black at the coalface’ was Paul’s scenario at times… but he was a winner! We may not go through his troubles but in trusting God we too can win through!

Difficulties: Us!
Repeatedly these days, world news is repeatedly bad news! And we all can hit low spots of various kinds! But churches— Christians— are meant to be the centre of hope for the world. Why? Because we are supposed to know and trust the Saviour of this troubled world… and to witness Him!

So can we get our act together, ask for help from Bible-based pastors or friends? After acknowledging God’s great assistance, Paul thanked his Philippian friends and prayer partners for their help: ‘It was a beautiful thing that you came alongside me in my troubles’ (Philippians 4:13).

Maureen loves to quote Proverbs 3:5-6 to anyone anxious: ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.’ And why? She lives by this scripture, no matter what hits us out-of-the-blue! 

When troubled times hit any of us, we need to know and believe scriptures such as Isaiah 26:3, ‘You will keep in perfect peace these whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.’

Yes, we live in a fallen world… bad things happen to even good people who are following and serving Jesus. Hebrews 13:5Mge is also of great comfort! ‘Be relaxed with what you have. Since God assured us, “I’ll never let you down, never walk off and leave you.”’ Wow!

This means we’ve got to hang in there! If we declare God is our good God, let’s know it in our hearts! This is where the rubber hits the road! A demanding maxim to be lived by these days is: ‘Let go and let God!’

Trusting means leaving troubles with God— but will we? Have we learned to really trust our God? God yearns that we trust Him! Three appropriate closing scriptures—

• Psalm 78:7BSB, ‘… they should put their confidence in God, not forgetting His works, but keeping His commandments.’
• 2Thessalonions 2:4NIRV, ‘He has trusted us with the good news. We aren’t trying to please people. We want to please God. He puts our hearts to the test.’
• John 14:12Mge: ‘ I, on my way to the Father, am giving you the same work to do that I’ve been doing.’ Now that’s some trusting by our Lord!

Let’s be strong and echo the three bold declarations of those young lads above—

• ‘Our God is able to deliver us!
• ‘He will deliver us! ’
• ‘But if not…’

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Dr Robert and Pastor Maureen McQuillan’s links are OnlinerConnect@gmail.com and Facebook 
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