In my recovery circle, I often hear the statement: “I believe in God.” Yet, for me, it strikes differently. I don’t just believe—I know God exists. My struggle lies not in knowing, but in believing that everything I encounter—the joy and the suffering—is part of His glory and my journey.
When good things happen, we say, “God is good.” But when tragedy strikes, where is He then? This duality of faith often creeps into my mind, and I wrestle with whether both good and bad originate from God.
Believing requires faith in the unseen, especially when life is not positive. If life were perfect, faith might become entitlement—no need to lean on God, no need to trust. It is precisely in imperfection, hardship, and questions that faith is tested. Faith says all things are working for good—even when we cannot see how. (Romans 8:28)
Jesus came not for the perfect, but for the broken. He came to give hope to the questioning, to rescue those who ask, “What’s the point of this existence?” The promise of eternity reminds us that this life is but one chapter. Our minds cannot grasp the fullness of forever, yet God simply says: “Today you are here, but this is only a part of what I have prepared for you.”
The real victory is not in avoiding pain, but in overcoming fear, anxiety, and even the certainty of death. Jesus taught: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23). Dying to ourselves—our pride, our flesh, our fears—opens the door to His glory.
Science cannot explain love, yet we all know it exists. Love transcends evidence—it is felt, lived, and known. So it is with God. We cannot put Him in a test tube, but we can experience His presence.
So let us move from simply knowing there is a God, to believing Him with full faith—that the Creator, our first love and Redeemer, holds all things in His hands.
Prayer:
Lord, help me move beyond the surface of knowing You exist, into the deeper waters of trusting and believing in You fully. Teach me to see Your hand in both joy and trial, and to rest in the faith that all things are working for my good. Strengthen me to die to myself daily so that I may live in Your glory. Amen.
