Does it sometimes seem like time stops when you’re in the middle of unpleasant situations?

That’s how I felt last winter. It mattered not at all that we actually had a very long fall that extended right into January. The fact that COVID and travel restrictions required that we stay at our home in Canada for the Winter instead of travelling somewhere warm made it seem like winter would never end.

Even though it was so mild in our region until mid-January, we flew out to Western Canada to see our son and his family for Christmas; and there we found temperatures down in the -30s. I didn’t dare go outside. The instant I did, my glasses froze over, rendering me essentially blind. And since the roadways and sidewalks were all slippery, blind was suddenly dangerous! I was, therefore, in essence, housebound for the entire visit. It seemed like we stayed there for months on end. I was astonished to realize that it was actually only 8 days…

Once back home, we had about a 10 day reprieve, and then winter finally hit with the worst blizzard we’d seen in over a decade. And the snow just kept coming and coming! More than once I told my wife, “This winter is sooooo long!”

She would always laugh and remind me that we were only early February, and that winter hadn’t started until four weeks earlier… Interestingly, the winter didn’t seem long at all for my wife. She had the attitude that if you dress up right, the weather doesn’t matter; and no matter what the weather, you would find her out for a walk. Even in Western Canada!

Yes, time seems to stop when you are in the middle of hard times… But what if we were to face them the same way my wife faced last winter? What if our attitude were that as long as we are appropriately dressed, the circumstances wouldn’t seem so long and drawn out and so difficult to endure?

It’s easy enough to dress for the winter — Or so she says! However, proper clothing might be a bit harder to find for bad circumstances. I mean, just how do you “dress” for the loss of a job? What about a cancer diagnosis? How does one dress for that?

The answer is simple: You don’t. Just like I would argue that you can’t ever dress warm enough for Canadian winters, there is no way you can ever be prepared to go through the death of a loved one or other hard times.

The Bible does talk about how to face circumstances and temptations, however: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” (Eph. 6:10 NIV). And in case you aren’t quite sure how to “be strong” in trying times, the Bible goes on to explain: “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” (Eph. 6:11 NIV)

This “armor”, of course, is none other than the armour of God: The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the boots of readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace, the sword of the Spirit, the helmet of Salvation, and the shield of faith (see Ephesians 6:10-20). I’ve written a lot about God’s armour in past devotionals, and I invite you to check out these previous writings by clicking here. The point I would like to make here is simply this: If we were to go through life wearing these pieces of armour, then life’s circumstances wouldn’t blindside us so easily. Yes, a death in the family is a terrible thing to go through; but what if we were in the habit of reading — and believing! — our Bibles, our “swords”? If we were, then we would know beyond doubt that God would carry us through, that He would be there for us when our loved ones weren’t. It would still hurt terribly; but at least we wouldn’t have the worry that so often accompanies and compounds our grief.

In a similar fashion, the loss of your home is not something any of us would want to go through. But what if we were in the habit of putting our faith in God in all circumstances? If we were, then worry wouldn’t be an issue. We would simply know that God will provide.

What if we were to routinely review and believe the truth of who we are in Christ? If we were to wear that “helmet of Salvation” all the time? Then when we get passed up for a promotion, when people put us down, when our loved ones or friends lash out at us, we would be standing firm on who we truly are, and not worrying about how other people see us.

I could go on with the examples, but the point is, the way to stay firm, to navigate trying times, is to wear God’s armour — ALL the time! When we do, we are dressed for any and all of the problems that come our way. And interestingly, time won’t seem to go by quite as slowly…


In His love
Rob Chaffart
Director, Answers2Prayer Ministries