When Things Are Foggy

It's easy to have faith when everything is going exactly how you want it to - but how can you keep your faith when things get rough?

Everyone that identifies as a Christian claims that they have some level of faith in God. The question is: When do they have this faith? It's so easy to put your faith in God when you're not facing any trying situations or it's convenient to you and lose that faith when the going gets tough. It seems so backwards to stop having faith in God when things start to get hard, but it's often the route that many take. Many think that just because they're a Christian, they won't ever lose their faith. They won't wonder if God will pull them through. They will always come to Him with their problems. It's very noble to have that mindset, to think that you'll always trust in God and communicate your problems with Him. Trouble is, we're human. We're not perfect. We mess up, and (whether we'd like to admit it or not) we're sometimes ashamed to even talk to God about what we've done. Adam and Eve hid from God when He came walking in the Garden of Eden after they ate the forbidden fruit. That's how we feel sometimes. God has done so many amazing things, many before we were even conceived, yet we still don't always trust that He will pull us though whatever hardship we're facing. Why don't we put it all in His hands?

Noah built an ark when there hadn't been rain in a very long time. People mocked and ridiculed him, yet he continued until he was done. Nehemiah traveled all the way to Jerusalem to rebuild the fallen walls. Many made fun of him and the Jews that were helping, saying that they would never finish. Yet, they persevered and finished the walls in 52 days. A woman who had an issue with her blood reached out and touched Jesus' robe believing that she would be healed. Peter assumed that it was just the heavy crowd pressing up against Jesus as He was walking and that no one actually touched Him. The lady came forward and confessed that it was her and shared how she was instantly healed. Jesus encouraged her by telling her that her faith had made her well. I could go on and on with stories of how many people in the Bible had such strong faith in God and kept their faith, even if the people surrounding them were mocking them, but that would take up this entire post. I shared those three stories because they are the ones that really stand out to me. It's amazing to read through those stories and see how each of them stood strong in their faith, even when everyone thought they were down right crazy. It would be great to have faith like that. I think part of the problem nowadays is that we're just short of obsessed with what other people think about us.

"Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see." Hebrews 11:1

This verse is the literal definition of faith. It's the reality of things we hope for. It's the evidence of things we can't see. I had faith in God that my car repair wouldn't be too expensive because I was running low on finances. My car shop called and let me know that the issue was a recall that was ignored before I even owned the car and they fixed it for free. That happened just a few weeks ago, and I felt so blessed in the moment. I wish it was always that easy to put my faith in God - because it isn't always that easy. I hoped that my car bill wouldn't be expensive. God worked it to end up being completely free. I think another issue we have putting our full faith in God in this day and age is that we can't always see the big picture. We want to know what the end product is going to be before we even start acting on what God is calling us to do. Will it be worth it? Will we look crazy in the meantime? Having faith means we will trust God all the time, not just when we see fit.

What about when we're struggling? When the situation seems like it will never end, that things will never get any better than they are at that very moment? What does our faith look like then? Being completely transparent with you, I know mine used to be very shaky in those moments. I'm working to grow my faith in God now. I'm trying to spend more time in the Bible and remember to pray when I feel the struggle kicking in. I try to remember that faith is the evidence of things unseen. Whatever your situation is right now, know that God is working for you. He's fighting for you. He will not let you fall. He's right there, ready to help you through this time. You might be struggling to keep your faith, but know that God is there for you. He will pull you through. You will see the evidence, even though you might not have seen what He did. I pray that you will remember this as you continue to press on through this life.

"For we live by believing and not by seeing." 2 Corinthians 5:7

"See Me Though It" by Brandon Heath has a line that I thrive on: "When the sky falls who am I gonna call? The one who put it up there in the first place." It's such a great reminder that whatever is happening, God's got it. Why should I stop believing that He will help me when He's got the whole world in His hands? It's important that we live life believing that God will come through, rather than expecting to see what He's done as we turn around every corner. That is something that's definitely easier said than done. We live in an age where we expect to see the immediate outcomes of our work. I'm not going to be dishonest here. I check my blog for a few days after I've published a new post to see how many people have read it. It's almost as if I'm searching for instant gratification. I'm expecting to see the immediate outcome of the work I've put into writing my blog posts. I know I can't be the only one out here who's looking for instant gratification, not in these times. I think we all need to take a step back from time to time and remind ourselves that we don't always live for what we might see - like my blog posts - we have to believe, too. But what are we going to believe? God.

We're going to believe that God will pull us through whatever season we're going through - good or bad. We're not going to wait for that instant gratification by seeing every little thing that happens, whether it was brought on by God or ourselves. To put our faith in anything else seems rather irrelevant. Going back to that song - why would we call anyone else for help when it seems so clear that we just need to trust in God? He's been around for so long. He created literally everything and everyone. I think He can handle whatever we need to bring to Him. We just need to remember that. Instead of being afraid or ashamed, we should remind ourselves that God will still love us and He wants to help us through our hardships. Before I go, I want to pose a challenge to you. Think about your life - what season you seem to be going through, what you are struggling with, what you're failing to have faith in God about. You can write it down if you want to. I want you to then write "God's got this" above the situation you wrote down. Bring it to Him in prayer. Reignite the faith that you once had. Know that God is fighting for you, even if you can't see Him doing so. Remember, it only takes faith the size of a mustard seed.