I looked in the mirror just a few days after my husband died and said to my reflection, “This is going to completely ruin me.” I was floundering and my faith was weak. But God used many women to walk beside me and remind me of who God is. He is faithful despite the storm. When the pit seemed deeper than I could ever crawl out of, God daily used one woman who had never walked in my shoes. She didn’t have firsthand knowledge of what it felt like to lose a husband. But she was willing to go deep into the dark with me, to wade into those trenches to be the light that I needed. She was a constant source of truth, His truth. She was a constant guide back to the Lord, His Word, and His promises.
Walking with women through difficult seasons is sacred work. Whether they’re grieving a spouse, navigating a job loss, struggling with challenges in their marriage or with their children, or facing a health crisis, they may feel unsteady with fragile faith and unsure of how to navigate the deep waters. As women who lead women, we are often the ones who walk beside them in these vulnerable moments. Thankfully, we’re not left without a guide. Psalm 27 gives us a beautiful framework for how to encourage women. David wrote Psalm 27 while surrounded by hardship and trials as his enemies threatened to overtake him, yet he faced his circumstances with bold, unwavering confidence in who God is and with hope for the future. We can help women walk with the same assurance in who God is.
- Remember Who God Is—You Have No Reason to Fear (v. 1)
David knew that no matter how dire the circumstance, because the Lord was his light, salvation, and stronghold, he had nothing to fear. Remind those in difficult seasons that surrendering fear does not come from the removal of our circumstances but from remembering who God is. Because of who God is, we have no reason to fear our fearful circumstances.
- Reflect on What God Has Done in the Past—and What He Is Doing Now (vv. 2–3)
David reflects on how God caused his enemies to stumble and fall in the past. Now, facing a similar threat, he draws confidence from God’s past faithfulness. We can do the same. Helping women remember what God has done for them in the past will strengthen their trust in what He is doing in the present. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He never changes.
- Seek His Presence (v. 4)
David declares that he has one desire—not that the trial would disappear, but that he would dwell in the presence of the Lord. We too should lead women to desire to dwell with Him, to seek Him, and to gaze upon His beauty. Encourage them to spend time in His Word. Spend time in prayer. Spend time with Him during these days of great trial.
- Know God’s Promises and Worship Him (vv. 5–6)
David knew God’s promises. He knew the Lord would conceal him and hide him under the cover of His holy tent. In response, David worshiped—offering shouts of joy, singing, and music to the Lord. Encourage women to praise the Lord and worship Him. Worship can often put words to what we are feeling when we can’t express ourselves. Remind hurting women to remember God’s promises and give Him praise.
- Invite Women to Pray Honestly about Their Feelings (vv. 7–12)
Even with his declared confidence in God, David still experienced anxiety and concern. He still longed for reassurance that the Lord was with him. He wanted to know he had not been abandoned. Women need to know this too. We can be confident in who God is and still struggle with worry and concern. The key is to turn those worries into prayers just as David did. Encourage women to be honest with the Lord and what is on their hearts. It is there that He answers prayers and will assure them of who He is.
- Point Them toward the Goodness of God (v. 13)
David was certain he would see the Lord’s goodness—not goodness of circumstances but the goodness of the Lord Himself. Sometimes our circumstances don’t change, but God’s goodness remains constant. God’s goodness is the antidote to the fears that David had just been praying about because God’s goodness is the answer to all our fears in the midst of trouble.
- Encourage Women to Wait with Courage (v. 14)
Encourage women in the waiting. For David, waiting was enough—not waiting out of desperation, but out of courage. Waiting is not complacency but active trust. It is choosing not to take matters into our own hands but to trust the Lord to act according to His will. Wait with eager hope and expectation of God’s deliverance and have faith. Faith is believing and trusting in the Lord when we don’t know the future. Even when you feel that your faith may be weak, be confident in who God is and wait for Him.
Being a Woman Who Walks with Women through Difficult Times
Walking with women through difficult seasons is both a privilege and a calling. Psalm 27 reminds us that they do not walk through these times in their own strength. Instead, they can walk through these moments anchored in the same truths that carried David through his darkest moments. As we help women remember who God is, reflect on what He has done, seek His presence, know His promises, pray honestly, look for His goodness, and wait with courage, we are guiding them toward the One who never fails.
Their circumstances may or may not change, but the goodness of the Lord is not dependent on outcomes or situations—it is rooted in who God is no matter what. As women learn to rest in that goodness, they will find that even in the deepest waters, they are not alone. God is with them. God is for them. God will faithfully lead them through their deepest valleys and darkest nights. He is faithful and worthy of our trust. And He is right there beside us.
