5 Powerful Promises God Makes About Hard Seasons

During certain parenting seasons, our nights as moms rarely offer rest. Instead of settling down after dinner, worry and stress keep us up. We find ourselves praying for God to take our suffering away or the suffering of our children. We’re stuck. We don’t see a way out of the situation other than walking with God through it. And, to be honest, we know walking through it with Him will eventually bring healing and reconciliation, but not without first enduring more pain and suffering. So, we ask the Father to make it all go away. We know He can.

Sometimes He does. And sometimes He doesn’t.

We’ve all been in there. Some of us are there right now, hard-pressed from all sides. We don’t know what to do or how to help our child. The weight of the situation bears down on our hearts and minds to the point of overwhelm. Jesus understands where you are right now. It’s where He found Himself after the Last Supper and before His arrest.

Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane

After sharing His last Passover meal with His disciples, Jesus knew what was coming. He knew what He needed to endure on our behalf. He knew He would suffer terribly. In that space of fully knowing, Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray, “‘Father, if there is any way to take me from this suffering, please take it from me'” (Matthew 26:39 TPT). Jesus didn’t end His prayer there, though. He continued, “Yet what I want is not important; I only desire to fulfill your plan for me.”

In Jesus’s short time in the Garden, He repeated that prayer three separate times. The intense suffering Jesus faced brought Him to collapse in the arms of the Father. Jesus understood His purpose and His role, but He needed His Father to help Him walk through it.

God Meets with You in the Garden, too

Whatever brings you as a mom to the garden in desperation, God meets with you. He tends to you. He listens to you. He invites you to draw closer and closer. He doesn’t abandon you in your desperation, regardless of what brought you there. And, He won’t leave you in the garden either! It’s not where you live. Jesus didn’t stay in the Garden. God walked with Jesus towards the Cross and ultimately resurrected Him! That was His plan and purpose all along.

Jesus fulfilled the promise in Isaiah 53:5, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”

You can trust God not to leave you or your child in the challenging space you find yourself in right now. You don’t live in the darkness of the garden. You’re just passing through. Instead, you live in the promises of God.

5 Promises to Trust God to Fulfill

1. God promises that all things will work out for good for His children.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” – Romans 8:28

He doesn’t promise that you will know how or when, but that they will. Look back and remember times when He worked situations out for good. Trust Him.

2. God promises you an overflow of comfort.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” – 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Your Father loves you so much that His comfort provides for you and your child. During a difficult season of parenting, we can often feel like we have nothing left to give our kids. God knows this and promises us so much comfort that we can use the overflow to comfort our children, too. Trust Him.

3. God promises to finish the work He started in you.

“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 1:6

And, by the way, that goes for your children, too. Trust Him.

4. God promises peace when you pray.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6-7

His peace is protection. It will “guard your hearts and your minds in Christ.” Ask for it. And then trust Him to give it.

5. God promises to protect you in difficult times.

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, and the flame will not consume you.” – Isaiah 43:2

This promise covers your child, too. Re-read the scripture and replace every “you” or “I” with your child’s name. Proclaim God’s promise over your child. Trust Him.

A Parenting Prayer for Your Nights in the Garden

Father, I don’t want this pain and suffering for my child. And, if I’m honest, I don’t like it for me either. I’m struggling with how to best parent my child and feel like I am losing this battle. And, at times, I feel like I am losing my child, too. Please help me. I want to fully trust You and believe Your promises. I am so grateful that Jesus understands what it’s like to seek You in the garden. Thank You for giving us His perfect example of how to meet with you in a desperate situation and fully trust Your plan. Help me grow to be more like Jesus. Amen.