“Why, Lord, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” (Psalm 10:1).

I am thankful that the Bible offers many examples of his people asking this same question. To ask is not a sin. To believe he is not who he says he is, is. If people say they don’t believe in God because of all the pain and injustice in the world, isn’t this a matter of acknowledging his existence? If our existence started from a big bang in space, then why blame God instead of the banality of happenstance? 

“But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed our message?’ Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ” (Romans 10:16,17).

On the matter of faith, it is only possible as a free gift of love given by the Creator of the universe through Christ. He raises faith above our limited human understanding. This faith assures us that God is who he says he is. His Son has our back. His Spirit knows what he is doing. This kind of faith prepares us for the now and grants us the sure hope of the new world to come.

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1).