Good times don’t last, but good people do.
The sun still shines above the clouds on stormy days.
This too shall pass.
One thing I’ve learned over the years is that nothing stays the same in this life. When things are going well, I’m grateful. But problems, setbacks, and seasons of immense challenge are always lurking in the wings. When they come (and they always do), how do we keep going?
As followers of the Master, we are reminded of His promise when the dark days come: “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, NLT). Being a Christian doesn’t remove us from the broken and sinful world. But our Heavenly Friend has walked the road before us and triumphed. He is ready today to be “a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1, NKJV).
It has been said, “Hope is praying for rain, but faith is bringing an umbrella.” The Bible tells us that “this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1 John 5:4, NKJV emphasis added). How can we have more of this essential quality that brings joy and meaning to life when troubles abound? And is it possible to take what faith we have now and grow it into a deeper confidence in God?
To begin with, faith is not a blind leap in the dark. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (NKJV). God doesn’t ask us to trust Him with no evidence. Ours is an informed faith that sees what He is doing in the world and in our own lives. What are the ways that you have seen God at work in your life—ways that have led you to trust in Him right now?
Recently, our granddaughters were visiting, and I asked them what faith meant to them. Macy (age 10) said that it is “believing in Jesus” and “knowing that He will be there for me.” Chloe (age 7) replied that faith made her think of God. I love those answers. Children’s first conception of God comes from parents and other authority figures in their lives. What a responsibility rests with us! As we have the joy of talking about God with children, praying together, reading the stories of the Bible, and reflecting His loving character in our actions, the picture of a loving God who cares for them is formed. The evidence and substance are not an abstraction but a reality of what they are experiencing now. It is the same with us all throughout life.
Secondly, we further grow our faith by immersing ourselves each day in the Word of God. Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (NKJV). The Psalmist declares, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105, NKJV). The Bible is a Book of Life when we open ourselves to the stories, teachings, and poetry through which God speaks directly into our life’s problems, questions, and roadblocks.
Back in college I remember a speaker for chapel challenging us to place our own name into the promises of the Bible. John 3:16 became, “God so loved Brad, that He gave His only son.” James 1:5 was personalized to, “If Brad lacks wisdom, let him ask of God.” Romans 8:28 was personal: “All things work together for Brad’s good.” The Bible was written for the purpose of helping each of us today. “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope” (Romans 15:4, NKJV). How can you incorporate prayerful time with the Bible each day? Are you ready to invest this time so that your faith may grow stronger?
Thirdly, our faith grows as it is tested by the trials of life. This is the tough part of the Christian’s journey, but it is the path we all must travel. James 1:2-4 says, “Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience…that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (NKJV). Everyone on earth experiences trials. But as disciples of Jesus, we don’t face them alone. It is through these times that we learn to lean more on Him.
Years ago, when I started out in ministry, a seasoned leader shared with a gathering of young pastors that he always learned more from mistakes than successes. It turned out that he was correct. Throughout life I’ve gained more lasting wisdom from the setbacks, trials, and my own mistakes than from the times when everything was going well. And it has been during these spiritual trials, challenges with people, and circumstances that I can’t control that I’ve had to learn greater surrender to the Master’s will and direction. He always comes through.
In my work office hangs a reproduction of Rembrandt’s Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee. I chose to have it there to remind me that serving the Lord in any capacity means living in a storm of troubled waters. The artist pictures Jesus with the disciples in the tempest. Calmly He asks them above the howling winds, “Where is your faith?” If Jesus is in the boat with us, then there is no need to fear. It is there He calls upon us to trust again in Him.
Growing faith in troubled times can be our daily experience. Spending time each day with the Bible in prayer. Keeping a journal of how God answers our prayers in the good times and the bad. Keeping company with believers who nurture our faith. Through it all we are assured that God cares about the small things too. Our daily experience will be the bold petition of the disciples, “Lord, increase our faith” (Luke 17:5, KJV). He surely will.
For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.
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Bradford C. Newton is the president of the Pacific Union Conference.
