It is easy to talk about faith when everything is going right.
The bills are paid.
The family is healthy.
There is food on the table.
You wake up in the morning and the world seems pretty much the way you left it yesterday.
But what happens when everything goes wrong?
That is when faith becomes more than something we talk about on Sunday morning.
That is when faith gets tested.
I've Lived Long Enough to Know
At 82 years old, I have learned something about trouble.
It doesn't make appointments.
It doesn't ask whether you're ready.
Sometimes life changes with a telephone call.
Sometimes it changes with a doctor's words.
Sometimes it changes when a relationship falls apart.
Sometimes it changes when the money runs out.
And sometimes you can stand there watching everything you've worked for disappear.
I've experienced enough difficult days to know that being a Christian does not give us immunity from trouble.
Jesus never promised that.
In fact, He said:
"In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." — John 16:33
Notice what Jesus didn't say.
He didn't say we might have trouble.
He said we shall have tribulation.
But He didn't stop there.
"I have overcome the world."
That's the part we need to remember.
Where Is God?
When everything falls apart, even believers sometimes ask:
"God, where are You?"
I've learned that asking that question doesn't necessarily mean you've lost your faith.
Sometimes it means you're hurting.
Sometimes you're frightened.
Sometimes you simply don't understand.
I've had moments in my own life when I couldn't understand what God was doing.
Looking backward, however, I could often see something I couldn't see while standing in the middle of the storm.
God was still there.
Faith Isn't Pretending
Faith doesn't mean pretending everything is wonderful when it isn't.
If you're hurting, you're hurting.
If you're frightened, you're frightened.
If you've lost something precious, telling yourself it doesn't matter isn't faith.
Faith is looking straight at the storm and saying:
"I don't know how this is going to end, but I know Who is with me."
That's different.
Sometimes God Doesn't Remove the Storm
This may be one of the hardest lessons I've learned.
We pray for God to remove the problem.
Sometimes He does.
But sometimes He doesn't.
Sometimes instead of removing the storm, God carries us through it.
Remember the three Hebrew men thrown into the fiery furnace.
God could have prevented them from being thrown into the fire.
He didn't.
Instead, when King Nebuchadnezzar looked into that furnace, he saw something astonishing.
There weren't three men walking in the fire.
There were four.
The fourth looked "like the Son of God."
God didn't keep them out of the fire.
He met them in it.
When You Cannot See Tomorrow
There will be times when you simply cannot see the road ahead.
I've been there.
Most people who have lived very long have.
We want God to show us the entire map.
Usually He doesn't.
He gives us enough light for the next step.
Then another.
Then another.
That's faith.
"For we walk by faith, not by sight." — 2 Corinthians 5:7
You don't have to understand everything tomorrow holds.
You just have to trust the One who already knows tomorrow.
Don't Confuse Silence With Absence
There are times when you pray and Heaven seems silent.
Those may be some of the hardest moments of all.
But God's silence does not mean God's absence.
The teacher is often quiet while the student is taking the test.
Keep praying.
Keep believing.
Keep moving.
And when you don't have enough strength to run, walk.
When you can't walk, crawl.
And when you can't crawl, hold on.
But don't let go of God.
After 82 Years, Here's What I Believe
I've seen good times.
I've seen hard times.
I've experienced victories, disappointments, beginnings and endings.
And after all these years, I haven't discovered a life without storms.
I've discovered something better.
A God who goes through them with me.
Maybe everything is going wrong in your life today.
Maybe you're wondering whether God has forgotten you.
He hasn't.
You may not understand what He's doing.
You may not like where the road is taking you.
You may not even be able to see where the road goes from here.
But keep walking.
Keep praying.
Keep believing.
Because faith isn't proven when everything goes right.
Faith is proven when everything goes wrong—and you still trust God.
Now I Want to Hear From You
Have you ever gone through something that tested your faith?
Did it strengthen your faith—or did it make you question God?
Agree with me, disagree with me, or tell me your story.
Come back to my Facebook post and join the conversation.
I'll be there.
Mike Cunningham
82 Years — 82 Lessons
mikesobservations.com
