Reaping the Harvest of Faith: Trusting God's Promises When Bible Study Feels Tough

What do you do when you don’t feel like your time in the Word is enough to meet your needs for the day ahead? Do you ever ask yourself, is the mental energy of reading and studying God’s Word worth it?

Sometimes new seasons of life amplify these questions. Seasons of grief and sorrow, postpartum adjustments, job and/or life changes. It is easy to believe the enemy’s lie that time in God’s Word is useless if I don’t feel like I have uncovered a fascinating new treasure.

In Isaiah 55:11, God says, “so my word that comes from my mouth will not return to me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do" (CSB). When I study God’s Word and don’t get the “feeling of gleaning” I wished for, it doesn’t mean that God’s Word is not accomplishing the work it was sent to do.

It is a matter of trusting God’s truth over my feelings regarding my efforts. Isaiah gives us three simple and profound promises to grasp.

God’s Word will not return empty.
God’s Word will accomplish His pleasure.
God’s Word will prosper in His mission.

So, dear sister, let us continue to be disciplined in studying our Father’s Word. Let us trust Him as He accomplishes what He has sent it to do. May we encourage our hearts to preserve as we rehearse these promises to ourselves on the days of small gleanings, that we will see the harvest promised.

Meet the Author
JoAnna Baird

JoAnna, her husband of 3 years, Daniel, and their one year old daughter reside in Greenville, SC. Her days are filled with the joyful mundane tasks of being a homemaker and mother. She is passionate about pointing others to Jesus through the truths and promises found in His Word.

When time allows, JoAnna dabbles in her hobbies of sewing, baking, thrifting, and gardening. Her ideal day would begin with coffee followed by spending time with family building lifelong memories.