VL - Issue 42 - January 2022

PUBLISHER’S NOTE
Trust His Love;
Follow His Way
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“G
od, why did You let that happen?”
“Lord, why haven’t You answered
my prayers?”
“God, why aren’t You doing something
about this?”
“God, why would You ask me to do that?!”
Have you ever asked God questions
like these? I know I have. You are about to
read stories from people who trusted God’s
heart even though they didn’t understand
His way.
In theory, trusting God is easy. As Christians,
we know it’s what we’re “supposed”
to do. In fact, it’s often the first piece of
advice we offer in the face of a dilemma.
“Just trust God, brother,” we say. “Do what
He says, sister. God won’t fail you.”
But saying it and doing it are two very
different things, especially when the wait
is long, the circumstances are painful, and
our prayers seem to go unheard.
In tight circumstances, it’s easy to want
to grab hold of a situation (or person!) and
force an outcome. Waiting makes us feel
out of control. We grow anxious, fearful,
and even angry with God. All too often,
we find ourselves following our emotions
instead of God’s leading. But, as you are
about to learn, trusting God and waiting on
Him are worth the effort, because blessings
come through trusting God.
Of course, we usually expect God’s blessing
to be pleasant. After all, if God is good,
then shouldn’t everything He allows us to
go through be good, too? We want the promotion,
good health, financial prosperity,
freedom, opportunity—all the good things
we can think of. And sometimes, God does
bless us with those beautiful things.
But other times, God’s blessings are the
fruit of our persevering in trust through a
long wait or uncomfortable circumstance.
It’s through those difficult moments that
God reveals His treasure, faithfulness, and
power in ways that, but for the pain and the
wait, we never would have known. After
reading this issue, you’ll see what I mean.
For me, trusting God became possible
the day I realized He loved me. I had heard
and recited John 3:16 a million times growing
up—“For God so loved the world that he
gave his one and only Son, that whoever
believes in him shall not perish but have
eternal life” (NIV). I believed in the concept
of God loving people and sending His Son
to save us. I even had faith to trust Him for
salvation through His Son, Jesus.
But I didn’t understand that God Almighty,
the Creator of the universe and
everything in it, loves me, myself, as an individual.
I didn’t realize He sees me, knows
me, cares about every detail of my life, has
a specific plan for me, and is on my side
(Psalm 139). My life and faith changed the
day I grasped that God treasures and delights
in me (Psalm 18:19). He delights in you, too!
Have you ever realized that God loves
you as an individual? That He sees you and
delights in every detail of your life? That
out of His love, He has crafted a plan and
a purpose for your life? And that His plan,
no matter how difficult, can be trusted?
I pray that, as you read this issue of Victorious
Living, you will have a fresh revelation
of God’s love and that His love will make you
complete. May you, as Paul prayed in Ephesians
3:18–19, have “the power to understand...how
wide, how long, how high, and
how deep his love is. May you experience
the love of Christ…[and] be made complete
with all the fullness of life and power that
comes from God” (NLT).
Friend, once you understand God’s love
for you personally and root yourself deep in
His love, you’ll find the strength to make it
through even the most challenging storms
(Ephesians 3:17), and you’ll see God accomplish
for you more than you can imagine
or hope (Ephesians 3:20).
Kristi Overton Johnson
Publisher & Executive Director
PHOTO BY TODD RISTORCELLI
6 Issue 01 / 2022 VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM