EquipHer Vol. 27: "The Trenches in Life"Sample

Day 1 – Building Your Story

"It is in the trenches that your story is written. The deeper the trench, the more God trusts you." - Christa Crawford

We go through seasons in life when everything around us keeps moving forward at full speed, but there are no visible results. No goals to celebrate - only weariness, uncertainty, and questions rising within us. This is what we call a “trench” in life.

However, though trenches are often uncomfortable, they are not always a form of punishment. Trenches can be the very soil where God is laying the foundation of a great story within you.

Trenches can take many forms: a failed project, a workplace that does not see your value, the exhausting tension between work and family, or a financial crisis. It is not always something dramatic—more often, it is the quiet, invisible erosion of strength, but God sees it.

The apostle Paul writes, “...we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” (Romans 5:3–4, NIV). This is an invitation to see beyond the pain of the process, because it is in the midst of your struggle that God is writing the next chapter of your story.

If we look at the life of Joseph: betrayed, sold, abandoned by his own brothers (Genesis 37:23–28), and years in the silence of a prison cell, yet, even there, “the Lord was with Joseph” (Genesis 39:21–23, NIV). That prison—seemingly far from his calling—was actually the “workshop” of his leadership. It was where God was shaping Joseph for the role he had been destined for: to become the second most powerful man in Egypt (Genesis 41:40–41).

If you feel forgotten, weary, stuck in a place too quiet to seem significant, know this: it is in moments like these that God is doing His deepest work in you.

The truth is, God does not build on the surface. He builds in the depths. And often, His greatest work happens in the silence, far from the eyes of others—where you have nothing to prove and no one to impress. That is where He digs, shapes, restores. That is where He realigns you with your true identity and prepares you for the purpose for which He created you. Jesus Himself said, “Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you openly” (Matthew 6:6, NIV).

Difficult seasons do not disqualify you—they prepare you. It is by walking through the trenches that God equips you to lead others with empathy, authority, and grace.

Reflective questions:

• Where are you today? In which area of your life do you feel like you are digging, striving, simply trying to survive?
• If you look with spiritual eyes, can you recognize that God has not abandoned you but is actually shaping you?

Prayer:
Lord, thank You for not leaving me alone in the trenches. Even when I feel forgotten, I know You are with me. Help me see this season as an opportunity for growth and not a punishment. Strengthen my heart, build in me a character that can withstand pressure, and use me to serve others through the story You are writing with my life. Amen.