Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.
– 1 Cor. 16:13
It’s easy to be bold when there’s no cost. It’s easy to stand tall when the crowd is with you, when the waters are calm, and when doing the right thing doesn’t demand much. But life isn’t always lived in those humdrum moments. Character isn’t proven when everything is comfortable. It’s revealed when the storm hits. And God doesn’t call us to be fair-weather believers.
No, faithfulness isn’t tested in the sunshine. It’s tested in the storm. When the wind turns against you, when the waves crash, when everything in you wants to turn back – that’s when real faith is revealed. It’s one thing to say you trust God when the path is straight and clear. It’s another thing entirely to trust Him when the way forward is uncertain, when doing the right thing is costly, and when obedience feels like sailing into the eye of the hurricane.
I think of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s refusal to stay in America during WWII while his own country was carrying out the extermination of Jews. I think of Daniel choosing the lion’s den over compromise. I think of David grabbing a stone from his shepherd’s pouch as he ran toward Goliath. I think of Paul singing hymns with Silas in a prison cell.
These men stood firm when it mattered most, and not because it was easy, but because their faith wasn’t rooted in circumstances. Their faith was rooted in God. And last but certainly not least – I think of Jesus standing before Pilate, knowing the cross awaited Him.
That’s the kind of faith I want. The kind that doesn’t waver when the storm comes. The kind that doesn’t shrink back when standing firm means standing alone. The kind that trusts God, not just when the wind is at my back, but when it’s pushing hard against me.
Because at the end of the day, I don’t want to be known for how I stood in comfort. I want to be known for how I stood when it counted most. And when the storm comes, I want to be found faithful.
Former Blackout Artist 