Ever have one of those days where it seems like everything that could possibly go wrong did? What about when those days turn into weeks, or even months? Everything around you feels like it’s crumbling right before your eyes, and you can’t help but to wonder where God is in the midst of the chaos.

Whenever I feel like I am in the midst of circumstances that I am having a hard time understanding, I almost have to force myself to stay grounded in what I know to be true. Keeping my mind saturated with truth prevents the enemy from being able to whisper false accusations and faith-eroding perspectives.

So, what is the truth? Scripture tells us that once we place our lives in the hands of the Lord, he will provide for our every need.

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
— Philippians 4:19

We know that God will always provide for his children. The only hang up we tend to have is that it isn’t always in the way that we expect him to: a lost job, financial struggles, a failing marriage, an unexpected illness. The real challenge is for us to walk through the valley, trusting in his plans and knowing that they are greater than we could ever imagine, even when it doesn’t feel like it.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
— Isaiah 55:9

God is always at work. He is always protecting us and providing for us, even when we cannot see it. Even his disciples missed what God was doing right in front of them. That’s because he did it in different ways than they had expected him to. He didn’t follow conventional norms, yet he was still at work, then and now. Sometimes closed doors, missed opportunities, broken relationships, trials and struggles are all a part of his protection and his greater plan.

We are usually so wrapped up in the things that we want from him that we tend to forget that he has already given us the greatest gift, the one thing we need the most: his Son. What God gave us is exponentially more than we could ever imagine or ask for here on earth.

Perspective is everything, and ours is so limited. We can only see what is right in front of us, not what he is doing all around us. All we have to do is trust in him with all things. Why is this truth so hard for us to accept? If we believe that God can create us, redeem us and bring us out of death to spend eternity with him, why can’t we take him at his word when he says he’ll provide for all of our needs?