Walking with God: Trusting His Will Through Trials

“Thy will be done” sets the tone as the hardest prayer, because that small word “thy” moves control out of human hands and places it back in God’s. Hebrews 11 then names faith as the way to live under that prayer. Enoch and Noah model the center line: each “walked faithfully with God.” Abraham shows how faith moves, because he “considered Him faithful who had promised.” The common thread in the so‑called heroes is not native strength but received righteousness. Philippians 3 names it clearly: not a righteousness of their own from law, but the righteousness that comes through faith in Christ. The pattern that emerges is simple, even if it is not easy: walk with God, and God grants righteousness.

That walk has a practical shape. Scripture becomes the place to rehearse God’s faithfulness. Memory becomes the place to catalog God’s provision. Shared hardship becomes the forge where trust is proved, just as earthly heroes learn to depend on one another through demonstrated reliability. Isaiah 45:3 opens an often hidden curriculum: “treasures of darkness” and “hidden riches of secret places.” There are lessons learned in grief that cannot be learned in comfort, and there is an intimacy with God that grows when everything else is stripped away.

Hebrews 11 also steadies expectations. Many “died in faith, not receiving the things promised,” because they were aiming at a better country, a heavenly one. The point is not that God forgets, but that God times. Faith, defined in Hebrews 11:1, begins by believing God’s character and ends by believing God’s promises. The Niagara tightrope story drives the turn that matters most: moving from belief to trust, from saying “I think He can” to getting in the wheelbarrow and letting Him carry the weight. Proverbs 3:5–6 makes that move explicit. John 14 promises a prepared place and the only way to it. Isaiah 60:22 seals the cadence: “In its time, I will do this swiftly.”

So the call lands simply. Walk with God. Trust God. Get in the wheelbarrow and say, “Thy will be done.” The Table then seals the argument, because the broken body and shed blood of Jesus are God’s public proof of faithfulness, the resurrection His pledge that the covenant holds and the future is real.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Walk with God, receive righteousness Righteousness is not self-generated effort but a gift that follows a real daily walk with God. Enoch and Noah are remembered not for flash, but for fidelity. Philippians 3:9 names this righteousness as God’s own, given through faith. The path is simple to state and lifelong to practice. [30:23]
• 2. Suffering grows endurance and intimacy Isaiah’s “treasures of darkness” are hard-won goods, learned in places no one would choose. Endurance is forged in the pressure where God must be leaned on, not just talked about. When lesser supports fall away, a deeper intimacy with God can finally take root. None of this makes pain light, but it makes it meaningful. [36:51]
• 3. Faith begins in character, ends in promise Hebrews 11:1 roots faith first in who God is, then in what God says He will do. Confidence grows as God’s track record in Scripture and life is rehearsed. The mind learns His name, and the heart learns His ways. Hope then becomes sight, even when fulfillment is still future. [41:14]
• 4. Move from belief to trust Assent says “He can,” but trust says “carry me.” The wheelbarrow image exposes the gap between applause and surrender. Proverbs 3:5–6 closes that gap by calling for whole-heart reliance and whole-life submission. Trust is where faith stops talking and starts resting. [43:15]
• 5. Thy will be done, in time Yielding control is not passivity but worship, a steady yes to God’s timing and wisdom. Hebrews 11 honors saints who ached for a better country, even without seeing it all. Isaiah 60:22 teaches to measure life by God’s clock, not human deadlines. Saying “thy will be done” becomes the soul’s safest place. [46:28]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [17:35] - Thy will be done: hardest prayer
• [23:12] - Faith and Hebrews 11
• [25:34] - Memorial Day and true heroes
• [30:23] - Enoch and Noah: walked with God
• [31:11] - Abraham: counted God faithful
• [32:55] - Righteousness that comes by faith
• [34:37] - How to walk with God daily
• [36:51] - Treasures of darkness, hidden riches
• [39:16] - Not receiving promises, still faithful
• [41:14] - Faith’s beginning and end
• [43:15] - From belief to trust: wheelbarrow
• [45:07] - The way, the truth, the life
• [46:28] - Thy will be done in His time
• [47:06] - Communion and closing prayer

1. What two qualities of faith does Hebrews 11:1 emphasize, and how do they relate to trusting God’s character and promises?
2. According to Hebrews 11:39, what did the “heroes of faith” not receive in their lifetimes, and what does this reveal about God’s timing?
3. What specific imagery does Isaiah 45:3 use to describe the lessons and intimacy gained through hardship?
4. In the sermon’s wheelbarrow story, what distinction was made between belief and trust? [43:15]

1. Why might the biblical examples of Enoch and Noah (who “walked faithfully with God”) be described as more impactful than their specific achievements? How does this redefine what it means to live a “heroic” faith?
2. How does suffering create a unique environment for developing endurance and intimacy with God, as suggested by Isaiah’s “treasures of darkness”?
3. The sermon states that faith “begins in character [of God] and ends in promise.” How does Hebrews 11:1-3 connect trusting who God is to believing what He will do?
4. Proverbs 3:5-6 urges reliance on God rather than human understanding. Why is this especially challenging when facing unanswered prayers or delayed fulfillment of promises?

1. Reflect on a time when surrendering control to God’s will felt difficult. What practical step could you take this week to actively say, “Thy will be done” in that area?
2. Walking with God daily is described as simple but lifelong. What specific habit (e.g., scripture reading, prayer, gratitude journaling) could help you focus more on His faithfulness than your circumstances?
3. The “treasures of darkness” imply God teaches us in hardship. What is one lesson or “hidden richness” you’ve gained from a past trial that strengthened your trust in Him?
4. The wheelbarrow story challenges us to move from belief (“He can”) to trust (“carry me”). Where in your life right now do you need to stop “applauding” God’s power and instead “get in the wheelbarrow”? [43:15]
5. Hebrews 11:39-40 says the faithful waited for a “better country.” How might shifting your focus from immediate outcomes to eternal promises change your perspective on current struggles?
6. Identify one relationship or situation where leaning on your own understanding has caused anxiety. How could Proverbs 3:5-6 reshape your response this week?