Growing Your Faith Through Trials: How to See Challenges as Opportunities to Grow

Today we’ll be discussing how you can be actively growing your faith through the trials that you experience. Something I’ve noticed is that no matter who you are, where you live, or how much money you have, you will go through trials in life. Whether it’s heartbreak, loss, or uncertainty, challenges seem to come to everyone – and often when we least expect it. But what if those same trials could become the very soil where your faith grows the deepest? What if the season you felt was breaking you the most was actually a season of building and growth?

I know, I know, it sounds ridiculous, but hear me out. I genuinely believe that the people who lose the most can be the ones to gain the most when it comes to their relationship with Christ. They can go from having nothing, to having everything, all with the decisions they decide to make. Their experiences can dictate just how close they grow to God, or how far they separate themselves.

Personally, I went through a lot when I was younger. I could’ve blamed God, asking, “If God is a loving God, why would He let me go through this? Why would He let me endure this pain if He could stop it?”

But I didn’t. I turned to Him, and I grew closer. And, because of that decision, I am alive and well today. Because I chose God, I am happier, healthier, and living the life I genuinely thought I wouldn’t get to. I want to discuss growing your faith through the trials you experience because I’ve learned it’s often pain that grows our faith the most. I hope you’ll stick around to read the full post and experience this message, and if you need someone to talk to, I’m only a message away.

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Choosing Trust Over Control

Do you fight to control everything happening around you? One of the hardest parts of going through trials is letting go of the need to control the outcome. When life feels chaotic, our instinct is to grab the reins tighter, fix everything ourselves, or panic when it doesn’t go how we planned. But real growth happens when we loosen our grip and choose to trust God – even when we don’t understand. It’s like me with this blog – I finally just let go and surrendered.

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 submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Faith isn’t tested when everything makes sense. It’s tested in the dark, when you’re waiting, wondering, and walking through pain. It’s tested when you are cornered and with nowhere else to go. Choosing trust doesn’t mean you’re pretending everything’s okay, it means you’re surrendering your outcome to the One who already sees the full picture. You’re surrendering it to the only person in real control. You’re choosing to believe that He is going to make everything work in your favor.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• Am I trying to force my own solution right now?
• Have I prayed about this more than I’ve worried about it?
• Do I trust God enough to release this – even if it doesn’t turn out how I hope? (Try praying “nevertheless, Your will be done, not mine” after each prayer)

Let this season teach you that God’s plan is better – even when it doesn’t match yours. Growing your faith may not always be easy, but it’s possible if you learn to trust in God and pray for His way to be the final way. Learn to accept things even when you’re not able to control them, because God is controlling them.

When the Pain Feels Pointless: Finding Purpose in Suffering

To talk realistically about growing your faith, I think we need to discuss one of my favorite books from the Bible: the book of Job. Job was everything most of us would aspire to be: He was wealthy, respected, and deeply faithful. But in a divine test of his faith, Job’s life was completely flipped on it’s head. He lost his children, his health, and his possessions in rapid succession. But, while everyone told him to turn his back on God, he never did.

Though Job didn’t understand why he was suffering, he ultimately refused to walk away from God. One of the most powerful declarations he makes is:

“Though He slay me, yet will I hope in Him” (Job 13:15).

Job never cursed God, but he did question Him, grieve deeply, and cry out in confusion. He wondered why this was happening to him when he had done nothing wrong. His pain was real and raw. He wept, he questioned, and he even heartbreakingly wished he hadn’t been born. His story reminds us that faith isn’t about pretending everything is okay – it’s about holding onto God even when nothing makes sense.

Just remember this: God does not waste pain – my own story is proof of that. Whatever it is that you’re going through in life right now, it will not be for nothing. If you’re willing to ask for it, God can open your eyes so you can see the bigger picture. He can show you the wider view of what is going on and maybe even why. Just trust in Him.

We often forget that Job’s story doesn’t end in ashes. After the testing, the pain, and the sifting, God restored everything Job lost, and more (Job 42:10–17). But the greatest gift Job received wasn’t the material blessings, was it? It was the deeper revelation of who God is. Job says at the end of the book:

“My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.” (Job 42:5)

Sometimes trials move us from knowing about God to actually encountering Him. What Job gained in his relationship with God far outweighed what he lost.

Growing Your Faith Daily

The great news is that you can be growing your faith even without trials and pain. You can try journaling your prayers, gratitude lists/journaling, daily Bible reading, or even create worship playlists.

Journaling your prayers can be extremely beneficial because once a prayer is answered, you can go back and see how God answered you. You can see that He actually heard you, and answered. It’s a huge step in growing your faith and I highly recommend giving it a try. If you need a prayer journal, check out this one from Amazon: Pour Out Your Heart Prayer Journal.

Gratitude lists are powerful because gratitude changes your perspective. By writing down three things you’re thankful for every day, you train your heart to focus on God’s goodness, not the evils of the world or the pain surrounding you. It doesn’t erase your struggles, but it reminds you that God is still working in your life and that there are still wonderful things to be grateful for. Over time, this practice creates a habit of noticing God in even the smallest details. I know this because I’ve experienced it myself!

Another small yet powerful thing you could start doing is leaving sticky notes around with verses that speak to you written on them. For example, the following photo shows one from my desk at work.

Whichever method you choose, any one of the suggested things above will help you in growing your faith daily and learning to see God in your life. You may even learn to hear Him more clearly! I’ve noticed since I began growing my faith that I hear God speaking to me more than I did before. It’s easier to decipher my thoughts from His instructions.

When Your Faith Feels Weak

Even with all the journaling, reading, and praying in the world, there will still be moments when your faith feels small. You’ll have times when God feels silent, your prayers seem unanswered, and the waiting feels endless. But guess what? That’s okay! Because here’s the truth: faith doesn’t require everything to feel okay. It simply requires that you keep going anyway and trusting God to get you out.

Jesus said in Matthew 17:20, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed… nothing will be impossible for you.” That means your faith doesn’t have to be loud or perfect. It just has to be alive. You just need to have some.

If you’re in a season of waiting, whether you’re waiting for healing, restoration, direction, or clarity, just know this: waiting is not wasted time. Sometimes it can feel like you’re doing absolutely nothing, but try and remind yourself that God is doing everything. God is working behind the scenes in ways you can’t see yet! Sometimes, the waiting is where we are strengthened the most. The waiting and being still can be where the most happens.

Here are a few things to remember when you feel like your faith is weak:

• Just because you feel distant from God doesn’t mean He’s distant from you. He promised never to leave you (Hebrews 13:5).
• Be honest with God. Tell Him when you’re tired, scared, confused, or frustrated. He already knows and He invites your raw, unfiltered heart. Just talk to Him like you would a friend.
• Open your Bible even when it feels dry. Pray even if the words feel empty. Worship even through tears. These small acts of obedience can bring surprising breakthrough.

I’ve had seasons where I couldn’t find the words to pray a single thing. But, I got on my knees anyway. I wept. Through my tears, God knew what I needed. He knew what I was asking of Him. He saw my heart. That’s the amazing thing about God: He already knows.

These Christian truths are talked about in my new eBook Not-So-Small Christian Truths. If you’d like to read it and find more ways for growing your faith, you can purchase it in the Shop!

Growing Your Faith One Step At A Time

If you’ve made it this far, I want you to know that your faith matters, and so does your story. You don’t have to have it all figured out to be close to God. You don’t need to be perfect, polished, or unshaken to be considered faithful. Sometimes faith looks like dragging yourself out of bed and whispering a prayer through tears. Sometimes it’s choosing not to give up when everything in you wants to. Growth isn’t always visible, and healing rarely comes all at once, but that doesn’t mean God isn’t moving in your life and working things in your favor. He often does His deepest work in the places we’d rather avoid: the questions, the delays, the closed doors, the broken dreams.

Wherever you find yourself right now – whether on the mountaintop or somewhere in the messy middle – God sees you. He’s not waiting for you to become stronger before He steps in. He meets you here, in this exact moment, with mercy that doesn’t run out and grace that doesn’t expire. The beauty of faith is that it meets us in weakness, not after we’ve overcome it.

My hope is that this post reminded you that trials don’t disqualify you – they refine you. And faith isn’t about avoiding hardship, but learning how to walk through it differently: with peace, with hope, and with your eyes fixed on the One who never changes. Keep going. Keep trusting. You may not see the full picture yet, but one day, you’ll look back and realize that God was writing something beautiful all along.

And when you do, I pray you’ll share it, because someone else will need to hear how you made it through.

💡 Recommended Reads for Your Journey 💡

These faith-based books have encouraged me in my own walk with God through pain, doubt, and growth. If you’re in a tough season or just want to deepen your faith, I think you’ll find something powerful in these pages.

• It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way – by Lysa TerKeurst (side note: Lysa is one of my favorite authors)

• Suffering Is Never For Nothing – by Elisabeth Elliot