Week 4: Faith

Faith in hard times

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Nobody's faith is really tested on an easy day. It is tested when the diagnosis comes, when the money runs out, when the prayer you prayed for years is still unanswered.

The Bible does not pretend otherwise. It is remarkably honest about suffering.

What God does not promise

He does not promise an easy life. He does not promise that everything will make sense at the time. And He does not promise to explain Himself.

Pretending He did sets people up to feel betrayed by God for something He never said.

What God does promise

He will be with you. Not always to remove the fire, but always to be in it.

He will not waste it. Nothing you go through is thrown away. God works even the wreckage into something.

He will finish what He started. Your struggle is not evidence that He gave up on you.

Holding on when it is dark

Say the truth out loud even when you cannot feel it. Stay near people who will carry you. Keep showing up — to prayer, to Scripture, to church — especially when it feels pointless.

And be honest with God about the pain. Lament is not the failure of faith. It is one of faith's oldest languages. A third of the Psalms are written in it.

Read it for yourself

  • Isaiah 43:2 — When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you.

  • Romans 8:28 — And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good.

Think it over

Sit with these for a moment. Writing your answers down helps more than you would expect.

  1. What is the hardest thing you are carrying right now?
  2. Have you told God honestly how it feels — or only how you think you should feel?

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