What’s your go to response when your circumstances seem to contradict what you know about God?

Maybe you’re facing a problem you can’t solve, a disappointment you didn’t expect, or a situation that makes absolutely no sense.

You believe God is good. You believe He loves you. But what you’re seeing doesn’t seem to line up with what you believe.

I’ve been there. In fact, I’m there right now.

During the launch of my new book, one thing after another has gone wrong. Books reviews on Amazon are disappearing. My advertising campaign malfunctioned for the crucial first two weeks. And then it unexpectedly shut down completely. It’s still not right. My email server malfunctioned. My printer stopped working the day before our Friday Bible study so I had to get a friend to print. And that’s not all.

None of these problems are life-threatening. But together, they stretched my faith.

You probably have your own version. And your circumstances may be far more serious.

So what do we do when life doesn’t make sense?

2 Corinthians 5:7 says, “For we live by faith, not by sight.”

Faith is essential for eternal life. But God also wants us to live by faith in this life, right in the middle of our problems, disappointments, and unanswered questions.

Think about Moses standing at the Red Sea. Behind him was an army advancing to destroy the Israelites. In front of him was an impossible obstacle. Around him was an angry, mutinous mob.

Everything he could see said disaster was coming.

But Moses believed God anyway. He didn’t trust his sight. And God delivered in such a powerful way that only He could get the glory. Moses held up his staff and you know the rest.

Which leads to this week’s BIG IDEA:

Again and again, I choose to trust the God I know, not merely what I see.

Think about a trust fall. You’ve probably seen one. Someone stands with their back to a group of people, crosses their arms, closes their eyes, and falls backward, trusting the people behind them to catch them.

That’s a great picture of living by faith.

But here’s the difference: When you fall backward into the loving arms of your heavenly Father, you’re trusting Someone whose character never changes.

Faith doesn’t mean ignoring reality, abandoning reason, or pretending everything is fine. It means believing God anyway. Trusting His character. Acting on what He has said. And leaving the outcome to Him. And we need that kind of faith when things are going well, too. It’s easy to forget our dependence on God when we think, I’ve got this.

So where is your faith being stretched today?

Whatever you’re facing, do everything you’re responsible to do. Use your mind, your strength, and every resource God has given you.

But remember, the outcome belongs to Him.

Again and again, choose to trust the God you know, not merely what you see.

Fall backward into the loving arms of your Father.

Always on your side,

Pat

For Reflection and Discussion

• Heart (Reflect): When has trusting God’s character helped you through circumstances you couldn’t understand?
• Head (Understand): What does it mean to live by faith rather than merely by sight?
• Hands (Apply): What situation is stretching your faith right now? How can you act responsibly while trusting God with the outcome?

Who would thank you for forwarding this to them?

Want to go deeper? Read Chapter 4 of A Reason to Get Out of Bed or watch the complete Man Alive Bible Study that inspired today’s Weekly Wisdom on YouTube. You can also listen to it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Amazon Music.