Life is never lived without difficulties, finding faith in difficult times is the key to bringing calm to the troubled times.
It’s the faith in Jesus that is at core of every Christian belief that God will be there for us always even when our earthly friends and relations cease to be with us.
What is Faith in Difficult Times?
Life set of problems can come in volumes if measured as pages, there can be illnesses, relationship breakdowns, job losses, financial problems and more.
One life can be like living an era and the mounting difficulties can make us detest the gift of life to live.
The wise and the holy always advised as we read in the Holy Scriptures of finding faith in difficult times.
How will faith affect or release the qualms of difficult times faced in a life? Is faith a medicine of cure or an app finding answers or solving the difficult times?
So what is it or why is faith to be found when troubled or in difficult moments of life?
Life challenges can make us test our faith.
Is the faith giving me strength and resolve to face them all, and are these moments leaving us feeling lost and overwhelmed.
If the difficulties have come to a life, the need to resolve these difficulties is upon the very person facing these difficulties.
It might not be easy as said in words above to release or resolve the difficulties of life by oneself but as Christians being believers of Christ we believe in finding faith in difficult times.
We ought to live our faith to deliver us of these difficult times.
And what is our faith as Christians?
Our faith lets us believe that “Faith can move mountains” and also that “Our God is bigger than our difficulties”
“You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”
“Your faith has healed you” were the words said by our Lord Jesus on many occasions when He healed persons in difficulties of sicknesses.
So even Jesus acknowledged that “faith” first is the seed to resolving the difficulties in life.
Finding faith in difficult times can fructify only if there is a faith that as Christians we believe in the divinity of Jesus.
Our faith should guarantee us to believe that no difficulty is bigger or impossible for our God to resolve.
We should be finding the faith in difficult times that has no limit or prescribed weight or measure. This faith is limitless and without boundaries, just a complete faith.
Finding faith in difficult times begins with the wholehearted belief that my lord and my God, Jesus Christ loves me and will never abandon me.
I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. (John 14:18)
That’s the promise from Jesus and this should be our faith that my God will be there always for me and more so in my moments of difficult times.
The same faith in Jesus is the trigger that will help us in our difficult times and then indeed Jesus will be saying to us also, “your faith has saved you”.
Navigating Life Challenges with Faith in Difficult Times
Life challenges can be like huge storms and we feel being drowned.
Faith in difficult times can be our anchor, our savior. We need to practice the faith in deeds and action, all body mind and soul.
There are ways to let us discipline our faith, it just cannot be merely words or in mind but we need to exercise and train our faith as this will profit us more and make us Christian soldiers of faith.
- Praying
Praying has power. Praying connects us to God. It builds a personal relationship with God for us.
Prayer teaches us to trust in God. It teaches us to hope in God alone. Prayer will strengthen us to believe we are not alone, our savior Jesus is there with us.
Prayer will make our faith strong.
Finding faith in difficult times requires that when we are encountered with life turmoil’s we in faith go to God in prayers asking His intervention, asking Him to let the moment of agony and pain pass away and there is nothing impossible that God to whom we pray with hope to let go and destroy these earthly troubles and upsets.
- Word of God
Find God in the Scriptures. Holy Bible is centered on God and His will for us humanity. Word of God heals.
Our faith is inspired and increased when we read the Word of God. Stories of people of faith in the Bible encourages and energizes us to believe and hope that just as God had saved them because of their faith, God will rescue us too in our moments of difficulties.
Finding faith in difficult times can be bolstered by the hope that the Holy Bible brings. The word in the Bible are not just words or scriptures, they are indeed the spirit of God and it is always working.
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
When we read the word of God it should be with faith and belief. We should find and read verses that resonate with our current situation and difficulties like…
…”Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23)
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests
to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phillipians 4:6-7)
- Seek Community
Connect with other believers, family members or friends and mentors. Seek their advice in faith and ask them to pray and thus find support and encouragement.
Pray together in community or pairs thus finding faith in difficult times asking the Lord to intervene in faith as found in the words below…
For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.” (Matthew 18:20)
That is what Jesus has promised in the above words. His presence when we pray together calling out His name in faith and contemplation.
- Practice Gratitude
Say thanks to God for the wisdom and grace of finding faith in difficult times that we practice. There are a lot of other graces and blessings that we still carry against the difficult times around. Just the hope in Jesus as a savior for us is indeed a blessing.
Say thanks having a confidence and belief that the difficult times will fade and pass away. My protector in Jesus will shield and liberate me.
Lessons in Faith When in Difficulty
(Matthew 8:23–27)
Jesus Calms a Storm
23And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24A windstorm suddenly arose on the sea, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves, but he was asleep. 25And they went and woke him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” 26And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a dead calm. 27They were amazed, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?”
For Christians the above Bible verses states a strong lesson of finding faith when in difficulty.
Jesus scolds the apostles for their limited or less faith.
“Why are you afraid, you of little faith?”
The same heated words stay alive even today by Jesus to all those who say we have faith in Jesus and still carry doubts and worries when faced with difficulties.
In the boat for the apostles there was Jesus with them even though the weather outside seemed tremendous and horrifying. The apostles should have known that the presence of the Lord midst them was enough and His sleeping or being awake shouldn’t have mattered, just His presence had them all safe and secured like everything promised in the Psalm of Protection, Psalm 91 also called the protection prayer.
If we as Christians believe that Christ died for us, that he made a sacrifice of His divine and holy body and blood for us, do you think He will care less or leave us unarmored when we are faced with earthly difficulties.
All because He loves us.
If we trust in Him alone to protect us, then He will protect us from the highly fierce and evil Satan, how lesser and weak are our problems and struggles of the Earth for Jesus to wrestle as compared to the Satan.
Finding faith in difficulties would be to believe that the boat that the apostles were travelling is our own lives and if like the apostles had Jesus with them and if we too have Jesus in our boat (our life), no external windstorms and waves of difficulty should terrify us as we should have the strong conviction and faith that Jesus is in my life, and surely my life won’t get overturned by the waves of trials difficulties and instead add Amen to our words of faith in the end.
Jesus will then rebuke the winds and sea of difficulties and then there will be a calm in our lives.
Difficult Times: Our Response by Faith
Life will always be featured with troubles and difficulties, traits of every living life.
Finding faith in difficult times is the key to sustain and endure the backlash and heaviness of these troubled moments. Being a soldier of faith is the requisite for every Christian. Armor yourself with the ammunitions and weapons of faith.
- Remember Who You Are:
You are a child of God, you were made in the image and likeness of the Mighty Creator. So you have in you all that is required to face and defeat any miss-happenings that a life will serve. Keep that faith and hope in the Lord at the highest.
- You are not alone:
“I will never leave you orphans, I will come to you”
(John 14:18)
These are not mere words from the Lord Jesus, it is a promise of companionship and protection.
We need to travel finding faith in difficult times and reaching Jesus spiritually and He will be there always for us as He loves us more than any Earthly relations will ever love, support and live for us.
For I hold you by your right hand— I, the LORD your God. And I say to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.
- Embrace the Journey:
Embrace the journey called life. When living its okay to feel lost and confused during difficult times. It’s okay if not finding faith in difficult times and in question and doubt. But the crux remains in going back seeking the lord even if spiritually dry and lost. It’s making that move to find back the faith and hope in Jesus.
Trust in God’s sovereignty. He is in control, even when it feels like everything is falling apart in one’s life.
Trusting and hoping in Jesus doesn’t guarantee that bad things won’t happen in one’s life. But your surrendering to Jesus will mean that the challenging experiences will shape you, resilient you, grow your faith and your relationship with God.
- Final Words Of Wisdom
There will be storms faced to the boat of life, but these storms and heavy winds will eventually pass away with time. Hope and hold unto the promise of eternal bliss in Jesus. Remember this world is just a journey and not our destination, we as Christians are citizens of heaven, and one day, we will be united with our Lord and live joy, peace, heavenly fellowship in eternity.
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This journey would seem arid and dry but let that not bother you from keeping on with the walk. Reaching the other end to find the Lord’s presence will bring to us quenching this spiritual thirst