Doing the Will Of God Even When It’s Hard

By James Katende – Doing the will of God, especially when it is hard, is one of the greatest challenges and highest callings that any believer can face.

It is easy to obey God when life is smooth, when the path is clear, and when everything seems to align perfectly with our desires and comfort. But the true test of faith and obedience comes when doing God’s will requires sacrifice, endurance, and the courage to step into the unknown, even when the road ahead is difficult. The essence of doing God’s will, particularly in the face of adversity, is not about the absence of struggle, but about the willingness to trust in God’s plan even when the way is obscured by challenges.

The hardest moments of our lives often become the very places where God’s will is most profoundly revealed. In the midst of pain, confusion, and hardship, we are faced with a choice: do we surrender to God and trust in His greater purpose, or do we take matters into our own hands and walk away from the path He has set before us? This choice, while difficult, is precisely where our faith grows and where we experience the transforming power of God. Just as Jesus exemplified in His life, obedience to God’s will is not always easy, but it is always good. In the Garden of Gethsemane, facing the unbearable weight of the cross, Jesus, fully aware of the immense suffering He was about to endure, prayed not His will, but the Father’s will be done. His submission was not without inner turmoil—”Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me. Yet not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42). Here, Jesus shows us that obedience is not about avoiding pain, but about trusting in God’s perfect plan even when it leads us through the valley of suffering.

When we follow God’s will, especially in difficult times, we are called to rely on His strength, not our own. The world often teaches us to rely on self-sufficiency, to power through difficulties with our own abilities and resources. However, God’s will often takes us beyond our capabilities, pushing us to lean on Him more fully and trust that He will provide what we need. In moments of hardship, when we feel weak and inadequate, we are invited to experience God’s power in a way that would be impossible without our surrender. The Apostle Paul experienced this firsthand, writing in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

In the hardest moments, God’s grace becomes not just a concept we know in theory, but a powerful, life-changing reality that sustains us and strengthens us when we cannot go on by our own strength.

Doing God’s will when it is hard also means enduring when we don’t see immediate results or understand the full picture. Trusting God means believing that He is at work even when the outcome is not yet visible, and that He is using our obedience to shape us into the people He has created us to be. Sometimes, the hardest part of doing God’s will is the waiting—waiting for breakthrough, waiting for answers, waiting for clarity. The Bible tells us that God’s timing is perfect, but that does not mean it aligns with our own sense of urgency or expectation. It is in the waiting that our trust is tested, and we are reminded that God’s ways are higher than our ways, His thoughts higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:9). In those moments, we must choose to continue walking by faith, not by sight, knowing that God is always faithful to complete the work He has started in us.

Doing the will of God when it is hard is not a burden; it is a privilege. It is an opportunity to witness God’s faithfulness, to experience His power, and to align our lives with His eternal purposes. Though the journey may be challenging, it is in these moments that we learn to trust God more fully, surrender more completely, and rely on His grace more profoundly. The path may not always be easy, but it is always worth it. When we walk in obedience, even in the hardest of times, we are living in the fullness of God’s plan for our lives, and we are being transformed into the image of Christ.