God does not promise that he will save us from every temporal trial and suffering of life. But He does promise to see us through them. Since death is the part of everyone’s life, and since death is the ultimate suffering assigned to all people, we must clearly recognize that God’s unbreakable promise of Sustaining Grace through “all our trials” refers very specifically to our eternal existence. There will always be some trial, sickness, disease, accident that will end our lives eventually. That’s undeniable.

But if we’re honest, and if we understand the sovereignty of God over the minute details of our lives, even the specific details of our sufferings, he has given all of us plenty of evidence of his sustaining grace even in the expanse of our short time on earth. Even if one only looks at the next breath, the next meal, the next morning as evidence of God’s sustaining grace it should be undeniable. Yet, I’d argue that any honestly soul searching individual can relate particular events in life through which God has sustained them in unexplainable ways. I’d argue that there is no such thing as coincidences in our lives. A coincidence is merely God’s way of remaining anonymous. Yet, many (if not most) people in our secular society would rather attribute such deliverances as accidental coincidences of nature. Think for a moment about such coincidences that have touched you in life. What do you consider to be the source? God will often move in our lives to get our attention. Sometimes he moves through suffering and sometimes he moves through unexplained blessings. It’s beyond me how some will blame God for the suffering yet attribute their blessings to coincidence.

Psalm 55:22 tells us to “Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you.” This was the favorite verse of an old hymn writer from many years ago. The brief description of his life was the subject of one of the “daily bread” devotionals some time ago. It said, “The hymn writer Georg Neumark was a dedicated Christian who was afflicted with blindness in his later years. This infirmity was just one more trial in a life already filled with heartache. While still a young man, he had been reduced to poverty and was down to his last penny. Yet his trust in God did not fail, for he found great strength in the promise, “Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you.” He prayed earnestly for God’s help. The answer came in the form of an unexpected appointment as tutor for the family of a rich judge. Relieved and delighted, he was prompted to compose one of his best-known hymns, “If Thou but Suffer God to Guide Thee,” to thank the Lord for His sustaining grace. Later Johann Sebastian Bach saw such beauty in the hymn that he used it as the basis for a cantata, and Mendelssohn included it in his oratorio Saint Paul.”