Life is truly a journey. It comes with ups and downs, rough patches, and seems that no matter how hard we try; things continuously hit us in life. Some of these events may seem as if there is no bouncing back. We don’t understand the struggle, we don’t understand the process, and it seems as if nothing will turn around.

How can one have the faith in seeing the sun shine again, when rain has been the only thing we’ve seen for years? As humans, we can be honest and say, although we have faith, there are days when we cry out to God asking for help, we worry, we have fear, we have doubts. It seems like we can’t hear the answer yet, and the only thing that is left is the faith in knowing that God will eventually provide. Remove the mindset that it will happen one day, or that things will get better eventually. All things work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to his purpose. God’s will for us is so divine and powerful, meaning that we must understand every bump in the road has a purpose. Stop signs are put in place to keep cars from colliding with oncoming traffic. It doesn’t mean that the end of our journey has come, it simply means that God put a safety precaution in our life to protect us, to strengthen us for certain circumstances, or to prepare us for the greatness that is to come.

What is faith? Faith is, by definition, “complete trust”.  It is the substance of things hoped for, and the assurance of what we do not see. In acts of faith, we typically find ourselves seeking God more, searching the scripture, praying for confirmation and signs and wonders, to ensure that the things we hope and pray for will come into fruition.  What happens next? Give it to God and trust him. There are many scriptures in the Bible that can assure you that God isn’t a man who won’t fulfill his promises. Isaiah 55:11 says “So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”, meaning that they won’t return to him void. Everything that happens, and everything God does, has a purpose. That includes his creation of you.

In Psalms 37, we see the account from David saying that he had “Never seen the righteous forsaken or his seed begging for bread.”  Times may get tough, but we serve an amazing father who will never leave us, or forsake us. Even during the toughest times, when everything seems cloudy, make sure that you open your ears to hear what God really has to say. Life gets better, things get better, and sometimes your very test can be a testimony to encourage someone else. Your very test can strengthen you for your next journey. The amount of wisdom and insight that some individuals gain through tough times is what helps others get through their storm. The experience is what develops and strengthens us.

Ephesians 3:20 says “Now unto him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above ALL we ask, or think, according to the power that works in us.”

1 Corinthians 2:9 says “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived, the things God has prepared for those who love him.

The confirmation and application of this text is in Isaiah 64:4 saying again “Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you,  who acts on behalf of those who WAIT for him.

And again, we find in Romans 8:24, the text is reconfirmed regarding faith and patience. “Now hope that is seen is not hope. Who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”

Faith is about expectation and perception. We can have faith for the things that we want, but we should also have faith in knowing that we serve an excellent and amazing God, who has a plan for us so much bigger than we could ever imagine. If we truly think about it, many of us hope based upon our current reality and can’t see a larger picture than that. God’s plan for us far supersedes our wildest dreams, which makes the wait so much more worth it. God won’t fail us. There is nothing too hard for him to do. Even in the midst of adversity and storms, God can pull you out of a situation, the question is do you trust him to do it?

Also have reassurance in knowing that just because God CAN do something, does not mean that He will right now. Some processes we have to go through in order to be strengthened for the next steps of our lives. It won’t always be easy, but it’ll be well worth it, if we can simply remember not to give up, to trust God, and to believe in his word, his promise, and his plan for us. In the storm is where you can find the safety in knowing that God is forever protecting us, especially if you’re still here to face the storm right now. That’s how amazing God is.

Here’s the amazing power of faith. Once you understand what it is, you understand that this walk won’t always be easy, and you understand that God never forgets about you, you’ll be able to understand these accounts and apply them to your current predicament. Look at the bold statements and take a moment to reflect.

1 John 5:15-16 says “My purpose in writing is simply this: that you who believe in God’s Son will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have eternal life, the reality and not the illusion. And how bold and free we then become in his presence, freely asking according to his will, sure that he’s listening. And if we’re confident that he’s listening, we know that what we’ve asked for is as good as ours. (That’s faith.)

Hebrews 11:4 “By an act of faith, Abel brought a better sacrifice to God than Cain. It was what he believed, not what he brought, that made the difference. That’s what God noticed and approved as righteous. After all these centuries, that belief continues to catch our notice.”

Hebrews 11:6 says that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. In the message Bible translation it says “It’s impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that He exists and that He cares enough to respond to those who seek him.” (That’s faith).

Hebrews 11:7 – By faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land. He was warned about something he couldn’t see, and acted on what he was told. The result? His family was saved. His act of faith drew a sharp line between the evil of the unbelieving world and the rightness of the believing world. As a result, Noah became intimate with God.

Hebrews 11:8 – By an act of faith, Abraham said yes to God’s call to travel to an unknown place that would become his home. When he left he had no idea where he was going. By an act of faith he lived in the country promised him, lived as a stranger camping in tents. Isaac and Jacob did the same, living under the same promise. Abraham did it by keeping his eye on an unseen city with real, eternal foundations—the City designed and built by God. (That’s faith).

By faith, barren Sarah was able to become pregnant. By faith, Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice to God, EVEN THOUGH there was a promise to Abraham that his descendants would come from Isaac (God’s promises won’t return void. Don’t try to figure out how he’s going to do it, just trust that he will do it).  There are so many accounts of signs and wonders that are testimonies BY FAITH,  and the same God who worked miracles over 2,000 years ago can work miracles today. Just trust God, lean not unto your own understanding, diligently seek him, smile, pray more, listen to what he has to say.

As a life application, consider this final thought. On our rearview mirrors, there is a safety warning that says “Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear”. Searching this phrase yields this result “Since smaller-appearing objects seem farther away than they actually are, a driver might make a maneuver such as a lane change assuming an adjacent vehicle is a safe distance behind, when in fact it is quite a bit closer. The warning serves as a reminder to the driver of this potential problem.”

Before you focus on the end result of your situation, and say “God can’t do it”, “It’s taking him too long”, or “It won’t happen”, just remember that you may maneuver a situation yourself and create a detour to your destiny that was so much closer than you could ever imagine.

This is a reminder to you of this particular problem. Don’t change lanes yet. Don’t give up, don’t stop. Keep going, keep trusting, and believe because you are so much closer than you could ever imagine. My encouragement to you is to not give up the fight and to understand that all things do truly work together for the good of those that love the Lord, who have been called according to his purpose. He loves you and He can never forget about you, abandon you, forsake you, or leave you hanging, no matter what you’ve done. That’s the purpose of the blood on the cross. We don’t serve a God who died for us to live miserable lives. We serve a God who died for you and me to live abundant lives and eternal life when life on this earth is over.

Don’t give up. Just hold on. Be encouraged. God is amazing, but you were made in his image. You’re amazing too, fearfully and wonderfully made. God’s plan for you is absolutely amazing. He won’t leave you, He hasn’t forgotten you, and He hears you. Don’t let a season of suffering, or struggling, interfere with your confidence of who He is, or who you are in Him.