The past few years have “challenged” educators, to say the least. During difficult times like these, looking in the Bible for examples of others who have also faced extremely challenging situations can help. I personally love David’s genuine honesty with God in Psalm 13: 1-2 when he writes,  

“How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?
      How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
      and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
      How long will my enemy triumph over me?” (NIV).

In Psalm 13, David accuses God of forgetting him and hiding His face from him (v. 1). He is wrestling with his thoughts, he has sorrow in his heart, and his enemy is triumphing over him (v. 2). Even though David knew that God was with him (after all, he already had trusted that God would use a stone to defeat the mighty warrior Goliath), at this moment, he was feeling abandoned by God—that God didn’t care about his situation. 

Have you ever felt this way? Do you ever think, Does God see my struggle this school year? Is God concerned about my stress and pain? Is God hiding his face from what is happening in schools?

Our faith is often tested when what we believe to be true about God does not match the feelings we are experiencing in the moment. However, it is in these difficult times that true spiritual growth can occur. 

Psalm 13 ends with,

“But I trust in your unfailing love;
      my heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing the Lord’s praise,
      for he has been good to me” (vv. 5-6).

At the end of Psalm 13, David professes that he will trust what he knows to be true of God’s love and salvation (v. 5). He reminds himself of what he knows to be true of God’s character. He declares that he will sing the Lord’s praises, recalling the many ways God has been good to him (v. 6). Because David had a relationship with God, he could put his trust in God’s plan and timing. 

Like David, we all wrestle with our feelings and doubts, especially when facing difficulties. And, like David, we can choose to seek Him, even when it feels like He doesn’t care about our situation. We can remember what we know to be true of God’s character. And even when our faith is challenged, we can choose to trust Him and grow closer to Him each and every day. 

If you are struggling to trust God during this difficult season of teaching, CEAI is here to support you. You can ask for prayer at ceai.org/prayer-request. 

Marc Maddox is the Director of Operations at Westside Christian Academy in Westlake, Ohio. He served in full-time ministry for 18 years as a pastor and as a director of a marriage and family ministry. He also worked for 10 years as an engineer. Marc is married to a teacher and has two elementary-age children.