Faith keeps us steadfast in our trial

Writer Tess V. Atienza  of the book, Didache, Daily Reflections For Catholics, shares this story, “… A woman we featured in Kerygma lost her family members, one after the other to a rare heart ailment. She grieved for all of them –until she was the last one standing.  Still, she did not lose faith. She says, “ I lost everything except God’s love. His love is what’s helping me to move on.”

Atienza declares, “We may go through intense trials in life. We may lose everything we hold dear. We may be all alone, emotionally and physically. But if we have faith, we will never feel so alone. We have God always at our side.”

True indeed, no matter  how rough and tough the sailing of our life may be, if we just hold on and anchor our faith in the hands of the Lord, at the end of the tunnel of our journey a flickering light of hope is awaiting for us. We just have to hold on and have faith, perseverance and patience in God’s grace.

Sometimes we cannot help but ask, “Why me, Lord? What have I done to deserve this kind of punishment?”  Our questions might be endless, but the “ bible verses website,” gives the following insights why we have to stay steadfast in our faith despite of everything:

Trials help our perseverance. James 1:12. “God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptations.  Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God  has promised to those  who love Him.”

I don’t know. Sometimes we have to admit we just don’t know and instead of going crazy and trying to find out, we must trust in the Lord that He knows best. Isaiah 55: 8-9, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.  “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Proverb 3:5-6. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, He will show you which path to take.”

Sometimes we suffer because of our own mistakes. We should never test God. Proverbs 19: 2-3: “Desire without knowledge is not good, how much more will hasty feet miss the way. A person’s own folly leads to their ruin, yet their heart rages against the Lord.”

God is making you more humble. 2 Corinthians 12:7:  “Even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God, so to keep me from becoming proud, I was given  a thorn in my flesh.”

It helps to build our faith in the Lord.  James 1:2-6: “Consider it pure joy, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”