God Will Turn It: Trusting God Through Trials

Devotional

Day 1: Trusting God When the Engine Smokes

A radiator spewing steam on the highway becomes holy ground when frustration meets divine interruption. Life’s breakdowns often feel like detours from purpose, but God uses overheated moments to recalibrate our dependence. The God who stops Paul mid-journey still halts our hurried plans to ask, “What did I tell you to do?” Chaos becomes classroom when we stop kicking rocks and start listening. [01:07:34]

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6, ESV)

Reflection: What “smoking engine” in your life has made you resentful instead of receptive? How might this breakdown be an invitation to lean harder on God’s wisdom than your own solutions?

Day 2: Letting God Work While You Wait

The clock ticks louder when stranded at a gas station with deadlines looming. Impatience breeds internal storms, but stillness births revelation. God’s timetables transform delays into deliveries—if we release our white-knuckled grip on outcomes. Waiting becomes worship when we trade frantic calculations for quiet confidence in the One who steers tow trucks and troubled hearts. [01:06:43]

But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31, ESV)

Reflection: Where has impatience blinded you to God’s behind-the-scenes work? What practical step can you take today to actively wait instead of anxiously worry?

Day 3: When Assignments Become Altars

Church duties often feel like burdens until we see them as backdoor blessings. Mother Taylor’s garden wasn’t about produce—it was about producing perseverance. Every “yes” to inconvenient service builds spiritual muscle. The trucks we haul and seeds we sow in frustration become harvests of holiness when offered as worship. [01:03:51]

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28, ESV)

Reflection: What resentful “have to” in your life could become a holy “get to” if approached with eternal perspective? How does today’s mundane task carry eternal significance?

Day 4: The Turnaround Starts With Surrender

“He’ll turn it” echoes through life’s dead ends like a divine drumbeat. Our white-knuckled control blocks the very miracles we crave. The road from M14’s meltdown to miracle required releasing the steering wheel. True turnaround begins when we stop dictating solutions and start declaring trust. [58:57]

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! (Psalm 37:7, ESV)

Reflection: What situation have you been trying to “drive” instead of entrusting to God? What would it look like to shift from backseat driving to passenger trust today?

Day 5: Finding Jesus in the Kicking of Rocks

Holy ground isn’t just mountaintops—it’s gas station parking lots where we stomp and grumble. God meets us mid-tantrum, not with condemnation but with a gentle “What did I say?” Our frustrated foot-stomps become prayerful footprints when we let divine questions redirect our rage. The Savior who calmed storms still speaks peace to our petty rebellions. [01:07:07]

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Matthew 11:28-30, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you been “kicking rocks” instead of kneeling in prayer? How might God want to transform your frustration into fellowship today?

Sermon Summary

God’s goodness shows up first in simple mercies: safe travel, family fellowship, a chance to go somewhere different, and the joy of loved ones being kept by the Lord. The warning against jealousy comes right along with that gratitude, because somebody else’s blessing does not mean God forgot anybody. The word is plain: time is coming, and if it has not come yet, it is on the way.

God will turn it if He is allowed to turn it. God will take what did not look good, what was not meant for good, what felt like trouble, and make it come out another way. Paul’s word in Romans is not just something to read, study, and meditate on, even though that is the reasonable duty of the saints. God comes along and sheds light on what has already been read, and that old familiar Scripture gets brand new all over again.

Enlightenment and revelation are not fancy ideas for a classroom only. The Spirit can take a verse that has been sitting in the Bible for years and make it stand up in the middle of a bad day. The Word that says all things work together for good is easy to quote when everything is calm, but God brings it back when the car is smoking, the assignment is pressing, the clock is running, and the attitude is not sanctified.

Mother Taylor’s garden becomes a picture of service that stretches a person past comfort. The camp meeting assignment, the truck, the holiday schedule, and the brother who did not show up all become the ground where the test gets real. The smoking car on M 14 exposes how fast a sanctified person can start kicking rocks, fussing, and needing “a little more Jesus.” The Lord’s question cuts through all that noise: what did He say in His Word?

God’s Word does not wait until the saint is calm to speak. God speaks right in the gas station, right in the smoke, right in the frustration, and calls the heart back from complaining to trusting. The final matter is simple but weighty: if the child of God can stand the test, God will do the rest. God can even turn car trouble, missed assignments, and long journeys into proof that He still knows how to bring His people home.

##

Key Takeaways

1. God turns what looks wasted God’s turning does not begin with clean circumstances; it often begins with the thing that looks like it has already gone wrong. The trouble that was “not meant for good” can still be handled by the God who knows how to turn it. Faith does not deny the smoke, the delay, or the frustration, but it refuses to give those things the final word. [58:39]
2. Revelation makes Scripture brand new Reading, studying, and meditating are faithful duties, but God can shine light on a familiar verse until it feels newly given. The text does not change, but the heart suddenly sees what had been sitting there all along. That kind of enlightenment is mercy, because God brings the Word alive right when the test needs it. [60:07]
3. Tests expose the hidden attitude The smoking car did more than slow down an assignment; it revealed anger, blame, and impatience in the heart. Trouble often shows what comfort kept covered. The need for “a little more Jesus” is not shameful when it leads the soul back to the Word instead of deeper into complaint. [66:43]
4. God speaks inside the frustration The Lord did not wait for the moment to become peaceful before asking, “What did I tell you to do in my Word?” God’s correction can come while the rocks are still being kicked and the mind is still upset. That kind of interruption is grace, because it stops frustration from becoming unbelief. [67:34]
5. Standing comes before seeing The outcome did not become clear before the test had to be endured. The word was, “If you can stand your test, God’s gonna do the rest.” Endurance is not passive waiting; it is trust that refuses to quit before God finishes turning the thing.

## [87:31]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[55:37] - First-Time Visitor and Greetings
[55:59] - First Lady’s Safe Travels
[56:32] - Gratitude for Family Fellowship
[58:00] - Don’t Get Jealous, Time Is Coming
[58:39] - God Will Turn It
[59:27] - Why Paul Put It in Scripture
[60:07] - Enlightenment and Revelation
[60:35] - Camp Meeting Memories
[63:26] - Assigned to Get the Truck
[64:05] - Frustration on the Highway
[66:24] - Smoking Car at the Gas Station
[67:34] - The Lord Brings Back the Word
[87:31] - Stand the Test, God Does the Rest

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Romans 8:28
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” [58:39]

Observation questions

In Romans 8:28, what does Paul say God is doing with “all things,” and who is this promise spoken to?
What were some of the ordinary blessings that called for gratitude at the beginning: safe travel, family fellowship, and the chance to go somewhere different? [55:59]
What details in the highway story showed that the situation was getting worse and not better? [01:06:43]
What question did the Lord bring in the middle of the frustration at the gas station? [01:07:34]

Interpretation questions

Romans 8:28 does not say that all things are good, but that all things work together for good. How does that difference help explain trouble that is still painful, inconvenient, or unfair?
The warning against jealousy sits right next to thanksgiving. Why do gratitude and jealousy often fight each other in the heart, and what does it mean to believe that somebody else’s blessing does not mean God forgot anyone? [58:15]
A familiar verse can suddenly feel brand new when God sheds light on it. What does that suggest about the difference between merely knowing Scripture and receiving help from Scripture in a real test? [01:00:07]
Trouble often uncovers what comfort kept hidden. What did the smoking car reveal about the heart, and why can that kind of exposure become a mercy instead of only an embarrassment? [01:07:01]

Application questions

What is one simple mercy from the last week that could be easily overlooked—safe travel, family, provision, rest, help from someone—and how can more honest thanks be given for it?
When somebody else is being blessed and it seems like their time has come first, what thoughts tend to rise up inside? How can the heart be guarded from jealousy and steadied in hope? [58:15]
What situation right now feels like smoke on the highway—something delayed, frustrating, or breaking down? Where is the strongest temptation to complain, blame, or lose trust? [01:06:24]
“God will turn it” is easy to say in peace and harder to hold onto under pressure. In a present struggle, what would it look like to actually leave the matter in God’s hands instead of trying to control it? [59:05]
Many know Romans 8:28 by memory, but what verse has God used before to stop the mind in a hard moment and bring it back to trust? If no verse comes quickly, which passage needs to be kept closer this week? [01:00:20]
The Lord still asks, “What did I tell you to do in my Word?” When frustration rises, what usually speaks first—feelings, fear, anger, or the Word? What practical step could help the Word speak sooner next time? [01:07:34]
“If you can stand your test, God’s gonna do the rest.” Where is endurance needed right now—not quitting, not giving in, not speaking out of the flesh—and what would standing look like this week in a plain, practical way? [01:28:07]

Sermon Clips

79s

#DivineEnlightenment

“Tell him he will turn it. And he'll make it look at somebody's hand. That meant it wouldn't meant for you good. No. It wouldn't mean it. Have you ever thought about why god used the apostle Paul to put this in the holy reading? I know you have because most of us been saved all of our life, and some of you've heard me tell this little testimony of what this is when that particular verse, you know, we can read which we supposed to we can study which we supposed to. We can meditate on the scriptures which we are supposed to do. That's just our reasonable our reasonable duty. But god will come along and shed a light. In theology, it's called enlightenment. Or he will come along and just give you a revelation out of what you've been reading, what you've not studied, what you've meditated on, and it's like it's a brand new scripture.”

47s

#FromStudyToRevelation

“you know, we can read which we supposed to we can study which we supposed to. We can meditate on the scriptures which we are supposed to do. That's just our reasonable our reasonable duty. But god will come along and shed a light. In theology, it's called enlightenment. Or he will come along and just give you a revelation out of what you've been reading, what you've not studied, what you've meditated on, and it's like it's a brand new scripture.”

46s

#FreshScriptureInsight

“we can read which we supposed to we can study which we supposed to. We can meditate on the scriptures which we are supposed to do. That's just our reasonable our reasonable duty. But god will come along and shed a light. In theology, it's called enlightenment. Or he will come along and just give you a revelation out of what you've been reading, what you've not studied, what you've meditated on, and it's like it's a brand new scripture.”

Ask a question about this sermon

Lighthouse Cathedral Church This sermon · AI assistant

How does God provide sudden spiritual enlightenment?

What does God turning difficult circumstances actually mean?

How should Christians respond when plans unexpectedly fail?