How do we bring this all together? Trusting God is a choice we make every day—and every day, that trust is under threat. It has mortal enemies: fear, anxiety, skepticism, doubt, self-sufficiency, unbelief, to name just a few. What are the major threats in your life to trust? The Scriptures give us many examples of people who struggled with whether or not to trust God. We remember so many psalms that describe the fear, anxiety, and concerns of their authors as they faced the challenges of...

Though the theme of trusting God has been consistent throughout this series of studies, we will now examine more closely what trusting God means today, in the midst of “these present circumstances.” As I sat working on the original manuscript for this book, the world was more than a year into a pandemic. Millions of people contracted the disease, millions died, and some live with the disease’s life-altering consequences. Businesses failed, economies were ruined, and national debt became...

Image and identity are hotly debated topics today. How should we see ourselves? How should we respond to society’s ongoing pressure to shape our appearance, behaviour, or possessions to gain success and acceptance? How do we manage our insecurities about who we are? Others’ opinions, reactions, and actions often greatly influence how we perceive ourselves. Our self-view affects how we live out the lives God has given us. However, neither scars nor praise can reveal the truth about who we...