As Christians, When We Face Difficult Times, We Can Lean on Our Faith to Get Us Through

As Christians, when we face difficult times, we can lean on our faith to get us through. But true to human nature, sometimes the more difficult the trials, the more difficult it is to hold onto our faith. When times get really tough, we may turn away from God. We may feel angry and afraid that God has abandoned us, or we may doubt that He can make a way because every possibility we see, looks truly impossible.

Lately I have been wanting to go to sleep like Rip Van Winkle and have God wake me when everything is resolved. I have faith He will bring me through my current trials but this faith tends to rise and fall like the thermometer, sunny and bright one day and cloudy and gray the next. Well the Lord has been teaching me lately that the hotter the fire, the harder the trial, the more impossible everything seems, the stronger my faith must be to withstand it. He calls for all of us to be courageous in the assurances He gives us. We should be gutsy, intrepid, dedicated, spirited, and even audacious when it comes to our faith. Why, you ask? Here are just a few of the promises we can stand on: Romans 8:28, Deuteronomy 31:8, John 14:3, Jeremiah 29:11, Psalm 37:4, Matthew 26:28, John 3:16.

In Joshua 1:9 God says: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Now at the time God was speaking those words to Joshua, who had just assumed responsibility for bringing the Israelites in the Promised Land. Canaan, the Promised Land, was overrun with Godless people. It was Joshua’s task to conquer the land and reclaim it for the Israelites. Read Joshua 6 for the account of how Joshua and his men achieved military victory through seemingly impossible methods. The entire book of Joshua is filled with his military victories. These victories are notable examples of how faith and strict adherence to God’s word can bring us through whatever battles we may be facing.

Another favorite story of mine is found in Judges. Now if there was ever a guy I could relate to (besides Paul) it is Gideon. In Judges 6:18-39 see just how like you and me Gideon really is. But in Judges 7, see just how awesome and big our God is. Gideon has assembled an army to go out and fight the Midianites. Now 33,000 men show up to fight but the Lord says “ You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands.” God wants to make sure that the people of Israel understand it is not their own skill, their own sufficiency, or their own strength that wins the battle. This is God’s fight and His victory. Eventually the Lord helps Gideon reduce his army to a mere 300 men and tells them now “I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands .”

How many times do we think we need to depend on our own strength and our own means to overcome life’s battles? Isn’t this when our faith wavers and we forget who is really in charge of our lives? Our God can do anything, but do we give Him that ability and take our courage from His awesome abilities or from our own limited knowledge and puny resources?

Whatever you may be facing today, whether it be a minor struggle or a major trial, I encourage you to find your sufficiency not in yourself but in God and His Son Jesus. Find your courage in the promises of His Word, the strength of the Holy Spirit, and the shelter of His love “for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” 1John 5:4-5