Faith is not only in the moment you pray. It is in your everyday – How you think, act, and how you move through your day. Moreover, faith reveals itself in how you respond to stressful situations. This does not mean that feelings of sadness and disappointment and/or crying about a situation suggests that someone does not have faith. In fact, in these times, I think it illustrates that we are human, life does get hard and that we need God’s help to keep our eyes fixed on him.
So, what can be done in the hard times? In these times when it becomes hard to pray, hard to have faith and hard to believe that something better is coming, I would like to suggest that the scripture Matthew 17:20 provides us with a promise that even with a little faith (i.e. as small as a mustard seed) we can move mountains (figuratively). Even so, I cannot help but wonder if it is possible that the time spent in prayer is when our faith is the strongest. Could it be that when we are in prayer, we pour out our sorrows, needs and hope in a way that shows we have faith; but when we become bombarded by the realities of our circumstance the same strong faith we had in our prayer becomes faded, or even more detrimental, forgotten? In these times when it is a challenge to have faith in the hard times, I would like to suggest the following: Pray more throughout the day; thank God for the blessings you see in your life; keep your thoughts aligned with your prayers and continue to do your best in the tasks God have given you to do (e.g., at work, school, home, community etc.).
Stay hopeful and trust in God’s plan.