Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1 NRSV
Why is it that the one thing God calls us to do is often the hardest thing for us to actually do? There is no more simple or comprehensive command for a Christian than to have faith in God. When then do we struggle to believe, even after God's repeated demonstrations of His love, goodness, and sufficiency?
Recently my wife and I moved across the country. It was a monumental occasion for us in our marriage together. As we came closer and closer to the moving date the pressure seemed to mount on our shoulders from all the 'stuff' that we needed to get done. And, as always, pressure's bedfellow is stress. You would think that in these moments, during 'crunch-time', Christians would find themselves in a state of perfect peace due to their faith and trust in the Lord. I wish I could say that was the case with me as we came to our important transition.
Jesus has used this experience to show me yet again that I need to trust him in all things. That doesn't mean trust him as a second or third option; that means trust him from start to finish. In the moments where the stress was at its worst and things seemed to be falling apart -- including my faith -- Jesus proved himself once more that he is alive and his grace is sufficient.
Do we trust in him in all things? Is faith our first response in all life's matters? If not so, ask Jesus to shed his light in any dark recess of your heart where fear and doubt may linger. The one who has definitively dealt with death is more than able to deal with all of the issue of life as well.
