Trusting God Through Difficult Seasons

Rachel, Joseph, Daniel, and many others offer examples of endurance in the face of hardship. Robert Costa invites us to consider how suffering, endurance, and blessing can be connected in ways we do not immediately see.

Have you ever prayed for God to change something in your life, only to watch your circumstances get worse?

You believed His promises. You took a step of faith. You trusted that He was leading you in the right direction. But instead of experiencing the breakthrough you expected, you found yourself facing disappointment, uncertainty, or loss.

It’s in those moments that our faith is tested. We know God is able, but we struggle to understand why He hasn’t intervened. We believe He has a plan, but we can’t see how our present circumstances could possibly be part of it.

During a powerful message at North Cities, guest speaker Robert Costa challenged us to consider a different perspective on life’s most difficult seasons.

What if the season that feels like it’s taking something from you is actually preparing you for something God wants to accomplish through you?

In his message, “The Blessing That Hides in the Breaking,” Costa explored the lives of Joseph, Peter, and Jesus to reveal a biblical principle: God’s greatest work in us is not always accomplished through comfort, success, or immediate answers. Sometimes it happens through surrender, adversity, and the difficult process of learning to trust Him.

As Costa explained, faith is essential, but there is another dimension of faith that develops when we continue believing through hardship.

Faith that survives suffering becomes trust.

Sometimes God Subtracts Before He Adds

The message began in Genesis 30:22–24, where the Bible records the birth of Joseph.

For years, Rachel had lived with the pain of being unable to have children. In the culture of her day, children were considered an extraordinary blessing, and barrenness often carried a painful social stigma. Rachel watched her sister Leah have children while she continued waiting for the answer to her own prayers.

When God finally answered Rachel and she gave birth to Joseph, her response was remarkable.

She declared, “God hath taken away my reproach” (Genesis 30:23, KJV).

Then she named her son Joseph, expressing her faith that the Lord would add another son.

Costa drew attention to the sequence. Before Rachel celebrated what God had added, she acknowledged what He had removed.

Her shame had been lifted. Her reproach was gone. And the very name Joseph carried the idea of addition and increase.

This became one of the central themes of the message: Before addition came subtraction. Before blessing came surrender.

We naturally focus on what we want God to give us. We pray for greater opportunities, stronger relationships, financial provision, spiritual growth, and new beginnings. But sometimes we’re so focused on what we want to receive that we overlook what needs to change in us first.

We want joy without releasing bitterness. We want influence without surrendering pride. We want new opportunities while continuing to live in fear. We want God’s direction but struggle to release control.

Not every loss is something God directly causes, and not every difficulty has an explanation we can immediately understand. Yet Scripture shows that God can use seasons of surrender to prepare our hearts for what comes next.

Sometimes the most important thing God does in our lives is not adding something new. It’s helping us release something that has been holding us back.

The Seed Must Be Released Before the Harvest

Costa illustrated this principle with a simple picture from agriculture.

A farmer cannot produce a harvest by holding on to the seed. The seed must be placed in the ground. It must leave the farmer’s hand before it can fulfill its purpose.

Jesus used a similar illustration in John 12:24:

“Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” (KJV)

The seed that is preserved remains a single seed. The seed that is surrendered has the potential to produce a harvest.

Surrender Is Not the Same as Defeat

There are seasons when following Jesus requires us to release something familiar. It may be our need for control, our dependence on our own abilities, or an expectation about how our future should unfold.

That process can feel uncomfortable because surrender often looks like loss before its purpose becomes clear.

But surrendering to God is not giving up on life. It is choosing to trust His wisdom more than our own understanding.

Costa reminded the congregation that God doesn’t call us to surrender simply because He wants less for us. His purpose may be to accomplish more through us.

That distinction matters.

The Christian life is not ultimately about accumulating blessings for ourselves. It’s about becoming people through whom God can demonstrate His goodness, extend His mercy, and accomplish His purpose.

Joseph Had to Go Through the Pit Before the Palace

Few biblical stories illustrate the relationship between suffering and purpose more clearly than the life of Joseph.

Joseph received dreams that pointed toward a significant future, but the path between those dreams and their fulfillment was nothing like he might have expected.

His brothers betrayed him. He was sold into slavery. He was falsely accused and imprisoned. Years passed while the promises God had given him seemed increasingly distant.

Yet Joseph’s story did not end in prison.

God eventually elevated him to a position of authority in Egypt, where his wisdom and leadership helped preserve countless lives during a devastating famine.

What makes Joseph’s story so powerful is not simply that he eventually reached the palace. It’s what God accomplished through the difficult experiences that preceded it.

Joseph developed responsibility while serving in Potiphar’s house. He demonstrated faithfulness while imprisoned. He learned to lead under circumstances he never would have chosen.

The very experiences that appeared to be setbacks became part of the preparation for his future assignment.

What If Your Setback Is Part of Your Preparation?

Costa compared Joseph’s experience to a dip in the stock market.

Investors often become discouraged when something they expected to increase suddenly loses value. What once looked promising now appears uncertain, and the temptation is to abandon the investment.

Life can feel similar.

You leave a church service encouraged by God’s promises, but Monday brings unexpected trouble. You make a sacrifice in obedience to God, and instead of immediate improvement, another challenge appears.

It’s easy to interpret that downward movement as evidence that something has gone wrong.

But Joseph’s life reminds us that a difficult chapter does not necessarily invalidate God’s promise.

He went from the pit to slavery, from slavery to prison, and eventually from prison to the palace.

The circumstances changed repeatedly, but God had not forgotten Joseph.

Of course, trusting God doesn’t mean every setback will result in a promotion, financial increase, or the exact outcome we imagined. It means we can remain faithful because God’s purpose is greater than the circumstances we can currently see.

Don’t judge the entire story by the chapter you’re living in right now.

Knowing Jesus in the Fellowship of His Sufferings

One of the most challenging passages Costa addressed was Philippians 3:10, where Paul expressed his desire to know Christ in both the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.

We naturally celebrate resurrection power. We rejoice in victory, healing, deliverance, and answered prayer.

But Paul recognized that following Jesus also involves sacrifice, humility, perseverance, and suffering.

The life of Jesus demonstrates that truth.

Philippians 2:5–11 describes how Jesus humbled Himself, took on the form of a servant, and became obedient unto death on the cross. His humiliation was followed by exaltation, and Scripture declares that every knee will bow at His name.

The resurrection cannot be separated from the cross.

Likewise, spiritual maturity is not developed exclusively through moments of celebration. It is also formed through the experiences that teach us dependence on God.

Faith Believes God Can. Trust Remains When He Hasn’t Yet.

It’s one thing to believe God can answer a prayer. It’s another to continue trusting Him when the answer takes longer than expected.

It’s one thing to praise God when life is going well. It’s another to worship when you’re facing a medical diagnosis, a financial crisis, family conflict, or a season of uncertainty.

That doesn’t mean Christians must pretend hardship doesn’t hurt. Scripture gives us room to grieve, lament, ask questions, and seek help.

But even in those moments, we can choose to remain anchored in the character of God.

We may not understand His timing, but we can trust His faithfulness.

We may not see how everything will work out, but we can continue walking with Him.

That is the kind of trust Costa challenged the congregation to develop.

Jesus Can Restore What Your Past Has Damaged

One of the most encouraging portions of the message focused on the restoration of Peter.

Before the crucifixion, Peter denied knowing Jesus three times. It was a painful failure for a disciple who had boldly declared his loyalty.

After the resurrection, John 21 records an encounter between Jesus and Peter beside the Sea of Galilee.

Three times, Jesus asked Peter whether he loved Him.

And three times, Peter affirmed his love.

Costa presented this exchange as a beautiful picture of Jesus restoring Peter after his three denials.

The Lord did not ignore Peter’s failure, but neither did He allow that failure to permanently define him.

Instead, Jesus called Peter forward into the work He still had for him.

That is an important reminder for anyone carrying regret.

Maybe you’ve made decisions you wish you could change. Perhaps you’ve hurt someone, missed an opportunity, or walked through a season of life that still brings shame.

You cannot go back and change what happened. But through repentance, forgiveness, and the restoring grace of Jesus Christ, your past does not have to control your future.

At North Cities, we believe in the transforming power of the gospel. Through repentance, baptism in Jesus’ name, and the infilling of the Holy Ghost, God offers forgiveness and new life.

Your history may explain part of your journey, but it does not have to determine the direction of the rest of your life.

Jesus can restore the places where you thought your failure had the final word.

God Can Use What You’re Going Through

In 1 Peter 5:10, Scripture offers a powerful promise about God’s work through suffering:

“But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.” (KJV)

Notice that the verse does not deny the reality of suffering. Instead, it points toward the restoring and strengthening work of God.

Costa emphasized that hardship can expose weaknesses, challenge unhealthy dependencies, and teach lessons that comfort rarely requires us to learn.

James 1:2–4 teaches that the testing of faith produces patience, and that patience has a maturing work in our lives.

Sometimes we discover how much we depend on our own strength only when that strength is no longer enough. Sometimes we recognize misplaced priorities when circumstances force us to reevaluate what truly matters.

The Fire Doesn’t Have to Destroy You

Costa pointed to two familiar Old Testament accounts.

Daniel was delivered from the lions’ den, but he still had to enter it.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were delivered through the fiery furnace, but they still faced the fire.

In Daniel 3, the three Hebrew men refused to bow to Nebuchadnezzar’s image, even though they knew their obedience could cost them their lives.

Their declaration of faith was extraordinary. They believed God was able to deliver them, but they also made it clear that their obedience would not depend on the outcome.

When they were thrown into the furnace, the king saw a fourth figure walking with them. The men emerged unharmed, and the fire had consumed the bonds that held them.

The same fire intended to destroy them became the setting for an extraordinary demonstration of God’s presence.

Costa summarized this truth with a memorable observation: Sometimes God delivers you from the fire, and other times He makes you fireproof.

That doesn’t mean hardship cannot hurt us or that believers are immune to loss. It means suffering does not have the power to separate us from God’s faithfulness.

Whatever the outcome, we can trust that He remains present and able to sustain us.

Don’t Interrupt What God Is Teaching You

Another challenging part of the message concerned our desire to escape difficult situations as quickly as possible.

Nobody enjoys hardship. When we see someone we love struggling, our natural instinct is to step in and make the problem disappear.

Compassion and practical help are essential expressions of Christian love. Yet Costa encouraged the congregation to recognize that some difficult experiences also carry important lessons about responsibility, maturity, and dependence on God.

He shared a personal example of providing financial assistance to a family member, only to discover that his efforts had not produced the responsibility or appreciation he hoped to see.

The experience taught him that helping someone and removing every consequence of their choices are not always the same thing.

This requires wisdom. We should never use the idea of spiritual growth as an excuse to ignore suffering, withhold necessary care, or leave vulnerable people in harmful situations.

But there is a difference between supporting someone through a difficult process and preventing them from developing the responsibility that process requires.

The same principle applies to our own lives.

We often ask God to remove the pressure when He may be using the season to develop patience, humility, or spiritual maturity.

The question isn’t only, “God, when will this end?”

Sometimes we also need to ask, “Lord, what do You want to develop in me while I’m here?”

God Is Working Even When You Can’t See It

Near the conclusion of his message, Costa shared one of its most memorable statements:

“Life is lived forward, but it can only be understood backward.”

Think about Joseph.

When his brothers threw him into a pit, he couldn’t see how that experience would eventually lead him to Egypt.

When he was falsely accused and imprisoned, he couldn’t know that his ability to interpret dreams would eventually bring him before Pharaoh.

When years passed without an answer, he couldn’t see how God was positioning him to preserve his family during a famine.

But looking backward, the larger picture became clearer.

Genesis 50:20 records Joseph telling his brothers that although they intended evil against him, God used those events for good and the preservation of many lives.

That doesn’t mean their betrayal was acceptable. It means their evil intentions could not prevent God from accomplishing His purpose.

God’s Silence Doesn’t Mean God’s Absence

Costa used the illustration of a student taking a test.

During a test, the teacher may be silent, but the teacher is still present.

In a similar way, there are seasons when God seems quiet. We pray and don’t immediately hear an answer. We look for direction and don’t see the next step clearly.

Yet Psalm 46:1 reminds us that God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

His presence is not measured by how quickly our circumstances change.

We may not always understand what He is doing, but we can continue trusting Him while we wait.

And even when we never receive a complete explanation for a particular hardship, we can rest in the promise that God is faithful.

Don’t Stop Moving Forward

Philippians 3:13–14 provides another central theme of the message.

Paul wrote about forgetting what was behind him and pressing toward what was ahead.

Costa encouraged the congregation not to stop following Jesus simply because the journey becomes difficult.

He compared life to a roller coaster. Once the ride begins, there will be unexpected turns, steep climbs, and uncomfortable drops. We cannot always control the experience, but we can choose how we respond.

The Christian life is not a promise of uninterrupted comfort.

There will be disappointments. There will be seasons of waiting. There will be circumstances we never would have chosen.

But those moments do not have to become the end of our spiritual journey.

Hebrews 6:11–12 reminds believers that God’s promises are inherited through faith and patience.

Not faith alone in the sense of a momentary emotional response, but faith that perseveres.

Faith that keeps praying.

Faith that keeps obeying.

Faith that continues following Jesus even when the road becomes difficult.

You may need to slow down, rest, seek counsel, or allow others to help carry your burdens. But you do not have to abandon your relationship with God.

Keep moving forward in faith, even when you don’t understand the process.

Don’t Just Ask God to Bless You. Ask Him to Make You a Blessing.

As the message drew toward its conclusion, Costa shared a shift in his personal prayer life.

Instead of focusing only on asking God to bless him, he had begun asking God to make him a blessing to others.

That change in perspective captures the heart of the sermon.

When our only goal is personal comfort, every difficulty can feel like an interruption.

But when our desire is to become useful in God’s hands, we begin to recognize that He can work through every season of our lives.

Joseph’s suffering ultimately positioned him to preserve the lives of others.

Peter’s restoration prepared him to strengthen the early church.

Paul’s hardships became opportunities to demonstrate the sustaining grace of God.

Their stories remind us that spiritual growth is not simply about what God gives us. It’s also about who we become and how He can work through us.

Perhaps the greatest blessing to emerge from a difficult season is not a change in circumstances, but a heart that has become more compassionate, more dependent on God, and more willing to serve others.

Find Strength for Difficult Seasons at North Cities

Everyone faces seasons when life feels overwhelming. Whether you’re experiencing family challenges, financial pressure, grief, health concerns, or uncertainty about the future, you don’t have to navigate those experiences without a spiritual community.

At North Cities, we believe the church should be a place where people encounter Jesus, grow in biblical faith, and find encouragement through meaningful relationships.

As a Spirit-filled, Apostolic Pentecostal church in Garland, Texas, we welcome individuals and families from Murphy, Plano, Richardson, Rowlett, Wylie, and surrounding communities throughout Dallas County, Collin County, and Rockwall County.

If you’re searching for a church near Garland, TX, where you can grow spiritually, find a church family, and learn to trust God through every season of life, we would love to welcome you.

We believe God is still changing lives through the power of His Word and Spirit. And we believe that no matter what season you’re walking through, there is hope in Jesus Christ.

There Is a Blessing That Hides in the Breaking

Maybe you’re in a season right now that doesn’t make sense.

You’ve lost something important. You’re carrying a burden you didn’t expect. You’ve prayed for an answer that hasn’t come. Or you’re wondering why following God seems to have led you into a more difficult place.

Robert Costa’s message offers a challenge worth remembering.

Don’t assume God has abandoned you because life has become difficult.

Don’t allow the pain of the present to convince you that your future is without hope.

And don’t let a season of suffering cause you to stop following the One who has promised never to leave you.

God may be developing something in you that you cannot yet recognize. He may be teaching you to trust Him in ways that comfort never required. He may be preparing you to encourage someone else through the very experience you’re walking through today.

You don’t have to understand everything to remain faithful.

You don’t have to see the entire path to take the next step.

And you don’t have to pretend the journey is easy to believe that God is still good.

Sometimes the blessing isn’t visible until we’ve walked through the breaking.

So keep trusting. Keep praying. Keep your heart surrendered to Jesus.

And remember that the God who was faithful to Joseph in the pit, Peter in his failure, and the Hebrew men in the fire is still faithful today.