How Well Do You Know God?

June 9, 2025

In 2018, Sarah Thompson was a 42-year-old school librarian in Boise, Idaho, enjoying a quiet life with her husband and two teens. Her life changed dramatically when she was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. A lifelong Christian, she’d drifted from prayer until her illness forced her back to daily Bible reading. Meditating on Psalm 23, she felt God’s presence like a “warm blanket.” During chemo, despite her hair loss and fatigue, she started a prayer group at her church, finding joy in encouraging others. By 2019, her cancer was in remission and she now leads a women’s ministry, joking, “God turned my bald head into a beacon of hope!” Her peace blessed her family, who grew closer, and her group, which still meets.

Life is hard, and it is not always fair. That is the way it is when we live in a fallen world. Sarah’s experience with breast cancer is not unique. In 2025, an estimated 316,950 women and 2,800 men will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. The part of Sarah’s story that is so important is what she did about it. She ran into the arms of Jesus. I meet so many people who get angry at God when life is hard and unfair, and they run away as fast as they can.

I understand why it happens. When life is hard and unfair it seems like God has let us down. Isn’t God supposed to protect us? What good is it to believe in God if we get cancer, or any other disease, or are involved in an accident, tornado, or any number of other painful things that can happen to us?

The only problem with running away from God is that we not only get all the pain of whatever challenge we are facing, but we must endure it without the strength, courage, peace, comfort and healing that only God can bring.

Sarah turned to the powerful words of Psalm 23 for strength. Many have. The words, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1, NKJV) have inspired countless people to turn to the Lord for strength in their greatest times of need. Perhaps, the most profound words from God when we face death are found in Psalm 23:4 (NKJV), “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

So, is there anything I can do to make it more likely that I will run into God’s arms if I face a life struggle that challenges me to my core? Get to know God, as a friend (James 2:23), when things seem to be going well in your life.

Do you have different kinds of friends? Who are your best friends? We know that if we don’t spend time with our friends, it is difficult to maintain the friendship. That time spent helps us to know them better. How much time do you spend with God? How well do you know God?

What do you know about God’s infinite unconditional love? When life is hard and unfair do you trust God to heal you without stepping in and fixing everything? What do you know about God’s power of forgiveness, mercy, justice, judgment and saving power in your life?

Friendship with God is different than any other friendship. That is because God loves us too much to leave us where He finds us. He has a plan for our lives. He wants us to grow in love, trust and obedience. Yes, He also can be gentle, kind and merciful, and intervene in the events of our lives to save us from calamity. Just think of all those near misses on the highway. But He also lets us face the calamities of life head on. He will never leave us or forsake us. He will always be there, guiding, strengthening, healing and helping according to His perfect will.

We need to know who God is, so we can better know what God is doing in our lives and how much He loves us. What are you doing right now to get to know God better? Do you think you would run into God’s arms in a crisis? Do you trust God to carry and strengthen you through any crisis that you may face? No matter what life throws at you, I hope you know that God is always there with open arms, ready to help you through the hardest moments of your life. (To learn more about Al Earley or read previous articles, see www.lagrangepres.org. You can purchase my book, My Faith Journal, at Amazon.com. I hope you will check out my new podcast “My Faith Journey” beginning Saturday on YouTube.com).