A few years ago, I wrote these words in my journal: “Trust God = Never Fail.” At the time, I was coming out of one of the most difficult seasons of my life. I had been searching for a job, only to face rejection after rejection. Every door I knocked on stayed closed.
I kept asking myself: What went wrong?
I thought I had trusted God, so why did everything feel like failure?
As I reflected, I realized the truth: God had given me a promise, but instead of waiting and walking with Him, I tried to make it happen on my own. I rushed ahead, striving in my own strength, trying to squeeze myself into molds never meant for me. The result? Frustration replaced peace, striving replaced thriving.
But God is merciful. And through these experiences, I’ve learned that trusting Him doesn’t mean life will be easy. It means even when it looks like everything is falling apart, He is still weaving something greater.
I’ve had to lean on Him in more than one season, and I’ve also slipped back into depending on myself more times than I’d like to admit. Still, He has been faithful. So today, I want to share a few stories and reflections that may encourage you to trust God in your own difficult and uncertain seasons.
A Time I Really Had to Trust God
I’ll never forget the day I found out I was pregnant with my son while pursuing my PhD abroad. It was not what I was expecting. To be honest, I thought everything I had worked for was over.
I was in pain and went to see a doctor. After running tests without any success of what the problem was, I thought, “Could I be pregnant?” I mentioned it to the doctor and he ran the test. When the test came back positive, my world shifted.
Immediately, a flood of fears hit me: What about my career? What about all the years of study? Was it all ending here?
Then, one Sunday at church, a message cut through my fear. The pastor wasn’t preaching about me or pregnancy or motherhood, yet I knew I had to keep my baby.
But even after that reassurance, I still had to fight the battles in my mind. For years, I had believed the lie that having children would end my dreams. I saw motherhood as the death of my purpose.
Maybe you’ve believed lies too.
During that time, I received all types of advice—some good, some very discouraging. It taught me to check the fruit and thinking patterns of those we listen to. Ultimately, I had to make a decision. I would have my baby, and I would finish my PhD.
Best decision I have ever made. But the journey was not easy. Storms came. There were hard days. But I chose to trust God and lean not on my own understanding.
Looking back now, I can say: If I hadn’t had our son, I would not have finished the PhD. He became my motivation to press through. I refused to waste the pain. Finishing the PhD later gave me the foundation for books, blogs, our daughter, consulting, and coaching—the very dream.
God had a plan, even when I couldn’t see it.
I didn’t walk alone. My husband supported me in his own way, making sacrifices alongside also. Both he and my son became gifts that kept multiplying.
What Happens When We Stop Striving and Start Seeking?
Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:33: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
After months of striving for jobs that never came, I finally stopped. I didn’t give up on the dream, but I surrendered the hustle. Instead of forcing outcomes, I prayed and waited.
It was like someone flipped on the light in a dark room. The circumstances didn’t change overnight rejections still lingered but I started to see them differently. Those seasons weren’t wasted; they were preparation.
Think of Moses. God told him to go to Pharaoh with a bold command: “Let my people go.” But instead of Pharaoh’s heart softening, Scripture says, “The Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart” (Exodus 9:12).
That makes no sense in human logic. If God sent Moses, shouldn’t He have made the task easier, not harder? But God had a bigger plan. Sometimes He allows resistance and delays because He is weaving a story far larger than our eyes can see.
I call this “When the dream tests us.” Will we keep seeking Him and obey when the process feels like it’s not working? Or will we give up and go our own way?
What Does Trust in God Actually Look Like?
Trusting God isn’t passive. It’s not about sitting with folded arms, waiting for life to happen. Trust is active faith.
Proverbs 3:5–6 reminds us: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.”
For me, trust looked like this:
- Releasing my grip on expectations.
- Choosing not to overanalyze every detail.
- Refusing to complain when progress wasn’t visible.
- Resting in God’s goodness, even in uncertainty.
Trust is choosing joy when circumstances don’t line up with our prayers and the promise. We may look foolish talking in a way that does not align with reality, but it is already done in the spirit because Jesus said, “it is finished.” So we walk by faith and not by sight.
Jesus even said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3 NIV).
Children don’t worry about tomorrow, they trust their parents. Maybe as adults, we care too much about how it looks to others – people pleasing.
Joseph’s story illustrates trust powerfully. At seventeen, he dreamed of greatness. Instead, he was sold into slavery, falsely accused, and imprisoned. Thirteen years of setbacks could have convinced him that God had abandoned him. Yet Joseph never cursed God.
And when the time was right, God elevated him to second-in-command in Egypt, saving nations from famine.
Trusting God doesn’t mean life gets easier. It means even in chaos, we remain anchored because we know God already sees the ending from the beginning.
How Do We Respond When Our Plans Don’t Work?
During my PhD, I spent countless hours in the lab working on multiple projects, but for some seasons, nothing seemed to yield results. It felt like wasted effort.
But years later, I realized God was using those seasons to develop discipline, resilience, and persistence qualities I now rely on in coaching and consulting.
Sometimes rejection is redirection. However, rejection may also be preparation, developing those soft skills.
Romans 8:28 NIV promises: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
Not all things are good. But God works all things for good including disappointments and delays.
Is This a Setback or a Setup?
When Joseph was sold, and imprisoned, it looked like a setback. But every low point was positioning him for greater influence.
I’ve seen the same in my life. Every rejection letter, every door that closed, every missed opportunity eventually led me to a place I couldn’t have reached on my own.
Sometimes the very thing that feels like a loss is God’s setup for something greater. I have learned to grieve the losses and heal through kindness, forgiveness, compassion, growth, and community.
Further, not all loss is forever. Sometimes we need to take a detour on our way to the dream. Even in these circumstances we are being prepared.
So instead of asking, “Why me?” (we may still ask why) we can ask, “Lord, what are You preparing me for?”
How Do We Cultivate a Growth Mindset in Difficult Seasons?
A fixed mindset sees failure as final. A growth mindset sees failure as learning.
In my early trials, I often cried for days, not knowing what to do. But slowly, God shifted my perspective. I began asking: What is this teaching me? How is this preparing me for what’s next?
Sometimes we’re so focused on what isn’t working that we fail to see what is working. Growth happens when we shift our focus.
John 15:2 says: “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”
Pruning is painful, but pruning is preparation. And it always leads to more fruit.
Final Reflection: Can We Trust God’s Plan Today?
That doesn’t mean life will be easy. It means that in God’s story, failure is never the end.
His promises stand, His plans are greater, and His timing is perfect.
So today, I leave us with questions worth reflecting on:
- Will I keep seeking Him, even when doors close?
- Will I trust His timing, even when it feels delayed?
- Will I allow Him to prune me, even when it hurts?
- Will I choose growth, not bitterness, in hard seasons?
If the answer is yes, then we can be sure of this: we will not fail.
Trust God. He has a plan. And in His plan, we win!
With grace and growth,
Sanchia and team.
Audio Version
Listen to our new podcast Be Still And Grow, Episode 1: How to Never Fail: Trust God, He Has a Plan.