Why Does My Walk With God Feel So Difficult?
Have you ever noticed that when life is going well, it is easy to make our own plans and assume everything will work out because God is with us? Yet when difficulties arise, we begin seeking him for answers and wondering why things are not working out as we hoped.Many believers genuinely love the Lord. They have come to faith in Jesus, believe in him, attend church, read the Bible, and fellowship with other Christians. Their faith may have begun with a genuine experience of coming to Christ.
However, as time goes on, we can gradually begin relying more on our own understanding than on the Lord's leading. Without realising it, we may treat God as someone who will help us achieve our plans, bless our decisions, or support the direction we have chosen, rather than allowing him to lead us.
Then, when things go wrong, we wonder why God has not helped us. We pray harder, try to find solutions, and sometimes feel that we are on our own.
Perhaps this is an opportunity to ponder an important question:
We want God to help us with our lives, but have we allowed him to be Lord of our lives?
Knowing About God Versus Knowing Him Personally
There is a difference between knowing about God and developing a personal relationship with him. We can learn Scripture, attend church, and listen to gifted teachers, yet still need to grow in our own walk with the Lord. Other believers can encourage us, but they cannot develop our relationship with him on our behalf.Jesus said in John 17:3: “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
God invites us into a relationship with him through Jesus Christ. He wants us to know him personally, trust him, learn his ways, and grow in our understanding of his will.
This relationship develops as we spend time in prayer, read his Word, listen to what he has revealed, and respond in faith and obedience. Our obedience grows out of that relationship; it is not a way of earning it. Our walk with the Lord should continue to deepen long after the day we first believed.
When We Want God To Support Our Plans
We all have hopes, desires, and responsibilities. There is nothing wrong with making plans or bringing our needs before God. The question is whether we are willing to let him have the final say.Proverbs 16:9 reminds us: “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.”
Sometimes we make a plan, decide what we believe is best, and then ask God to make it happen. We may have good intentions, yet never stop to ask whether our direction is consistent with his Word or whether we are willing to change course.
Proverbs 3:5–6 teaches us “to trust in the Lord with all our heart, not lean on our own understanding, and submit to him in all our ways.”
Submitting our plans to the Lord means seeking his wisdom, examining our motives, and remaining willing to follow his direction even when it differs from our expectations. We are still responsible for making wise decisions and taking appropriate action, but we must be willing to let him direct our steps.
Moving From Self-rule To Surrender
It is possible to believe in Jesus yet still hold tightly to certain areas of our lives. We may trust him with some things while insisting on managing areas close to our hearts. We may want his blessing without being willing to change our direction.Surrender means recognising that Jesus is not just an adviser who helps us make our own decisions. He is Lord, and we are called to follow him.
Jesus said in Luke 9:23 that "anyone who wants to be his disciple must deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow him.”
This means our own interests and preferences must not take precedence over the Lord's will. We become willing to change a decision, release an expectation, forgive someone, or turn away from a sinful habit when we recognise what he requires of us.
Surrender is not always easy. As we grow in our relationship with him and learn to trust his wisdom found in his Word, we can increasingly entrust our lives to his care.
When Things Do Not Work Out As Expected
When our plans fail or circumstances become difficult, it is natural to seek answers. We may pray more earnestly or ask others to pray for us. These are not wrong responses. God invites us to bring our concerns to him, and other believers can encourage and support us.However, difficult times can also be an opportunity to examine our walk with the Lord.
Have we been seeking his wisdom or mainly asking him to bless a decision we have already made? Are we willing to obey what he teaches us? Are we trying to force a particular outcome because we are afraid to entrust it to him?
We should not assume every difficulty results from disobedience or a lack of faith. Faithful believers also experience suffering, disappointment, and unanswered questions. Nor should we conclude that God has abandoned us when circumstances are painful.
James 4:8 says: “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”
We can draw near to him, ask for wisdom, examine our hearts, and learn to trust him with what we cannot control. Sometimes our circumstances change; sometimes our understanding changes. Through every season, we can continue to seek him.
Learning To Walk With The Lord Daily
A personal relationship with God is not something we turn to only when we need help. It is a daily walk in which we learn to involve him in every area of our lives.We can set aside time to pray, worship, fellowship with other believers, and read Scripture; bring our plans and decisions before him; seek wise Christian counsel when needed; and remain willing to receive correction.
We can also ask ourselves (be honest).
Am I seeking to know the Lord more deeply, or mainly seeking his help with my circumstances?
Am I willing to change my plans when they conflict with his Word or when I recognise that I have been acting unwisely?
Is there an area of my life where I know what the Lord teaches, yet have been reluctant to obey?
These questions are to help us bring our hearts before God and allow him to teach us. As our relationship with him grows, our desire should be to know his will and follow him, rather than expecting him to follow the direction we have chosen.
A foundation that will hold through difficult times
When our faith is rooted in a personal relationship with the Lord, we have a foundation that does not depend on everything going according to plan. We may still face uncertainty and difficulty, but we can learn to trust his character, stand on his Word, and follow him one step at a time.Jesus taught in Matthew 7:24 that “the wise person is one who hears his words and puts them into practice."
We need both a personal relationship with the Lord and a willingness to live according to what he teaches. We cannot separate knowing him from learning to follow him.
Perhaps the most important question we can ask ourselves is this:
Am I asking God to help me live the life I have chosen, or am I willing to let him lead me in the life he has called me to?
The Christian life is about knowing God through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, trusting him with our lives, and following him faithfully. May our hearts' desire be that our lives are shaped by knowing him, loving him, and walking in obedience to his will.
Angelina 26/10/2026
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