“Do not be afraid, but continue to speak, and do not keep quiet. For I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to harm you, for I have many people in this city.”
— Acts 18:9–10

There is a lie the enemy whispers into every believer’s heart—but sings at the top of his lungs for those who love to serve God:

“If God were really with you, it wouldn’t be this hard.”

That lie has caused many believers to assume that God has left them because of the opposition they face. But Scripture says something different.

Paul arrived in Corinth discouraged, opposed, and threatened. He had already suffered beatings, imprisonment, and betrayal—and now felt completely alone.

In the midst of his anguish, God appeared to Paul in a vision. Do you know what God didn’t say?

He didn’t promise Paul an easy road.
He didn’t promise full crowds or applause after every sermon.
He simply promised Paul—Himself.

“For I am with you.”

The Storm That Drove the Roots Deeper

Years ago, I planted a small Japanese maple tree in my backyard. It had a thin trunk, a few branches, and maybe a dozen bright purple leaves. I watered it faithfully and dreamed of the day my kids would play in its shade.

Several weeks later, a violent summer storm rolled through. The wind whipped that little tree until I was convinced it would snap in two.

When the storm was over, I ran outside expecting to find the tree uprooted in the middle of my lawn. It wasn’t. Its leaves had been stripped and one branch was broken—but it was still standing.

In the months that followed, I watched that tree grow faster than I ever expected.

The storm wasn’t trying to kill my tree.
The storm was driving its roots deeper.
What looked like devastation was actually preparation.

I began thinking about how often God allows the same kind of storms to move through our lives.

We ask for strength—and He allows wind.
We pray for deeper faith—and He allows seasons that drive our roots deeper into Him.
We ask to be used by God—and He allows circumstances that make us more dependent on Him than we ever imagined.

Sometimes what we think is punishment from God is actually preparation by God. Sometimes what we think will rip us from Christ is the very thing that anchors us more deeply in His faithfulness.

The very winds I begged God to still became the winds He used to make me strong.

God Is Present in the Opposition

Scripture is full of people who experienced God’s presence during fierce opposition. Joseph was betrayed, falsely accused, and forgotten in prison—yet Scripture repeatedly tells us, “The Lord was with Joseph.” David was hunted before he was crowned. Moses was criticized by the people he rescued. Jeremiah was ridiculed by the nation he loved.

Opposition does not mean God has left you. It may mean He is working eternal things in you and through you.

God spoke to Paul at night, when fear and lies often grow the loudest. He did not immediately remove the opposition. He reminded Paul, “For I am with you,” and assured him, “I have many people in this city.”

Paul couldn’t see them. The church had not multiplied yet, and the harvest had not surfaced. But God had already seen what Paul could not.

That, friends, is faith—trusting that while we scatter seeds, God is already preparing hearts we may never meet.

Keep Serving

Maybe today you find yourself questioning why serving the Lord has felt so hard, why your prayers seem delayed, or why this season feels heavier than you can carry.

Maybe you have found yourself asking the same question I have cried out in my darkest nights:

“Lord—are You still here?”

He is.

The same God who spoke to Paul is speaking to you. The same God who remained with Joseph in a prison cell is with you right now.

Do not mistake the enemy’s resistance for your Father’s rejection. Sometimes the greatest opposition surrounds the very place where God is preparing the greatest harvest of your life.

So keep serving.
Keep speaking.
Keep fighting.
Keep trusting.

He has heard every tear you have cried. He sees your faithfulness. He has given you an assignment—and He will never leave it unfinished.

 

 

-Neal Rozema

Neal Rozema and his wife, Carrie, serve at Harvest New Beginnings in Oswego, Illinois, where they minister to those who are hurting. Having walked through difficult journeys of their own and experienced the Lord’s faithfulness, they offer biblical truth and encouragement to others processing pain. Over the past several years, they have prayerfully come alongside Sanctuary in Trauma as valued ministry partners, and we are grateful for their faithful support.