The crux of a Believer’s life is faith. That act of believing in things unseen. We believe in God, yet we have never seen Him or touched Him. We live everyday, trusting in a God we can’t see. And yet, without a shadow of doubt, we know He is there. That is the beauty of the Christian life, walking with God who we can’t see or feel, yet His presence is very real in our lives.

For though we can’t see God, we aren’t left helpless in this world. God knew we would have trials. We would have many. He warned us. So He gave us gifts and privileges. He gave us the Holy Spirit to dwell in every Believer. The actual God of the Universe lives inside every person who has accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. This is the very One who resided in the Holy of Holies. A place so holy, the priest had to cleanse himself before entering in. And they still weren’t sure he was completely pure. They put bells on the bottom of his robe and tired a rope to his ankle. This was just in case God struck him dead because he hadn’t cleansed himself well. This same presence lives in every Believer. Imagine that.

God has givien us access to His very throne. He has not only said we can pray to Him, He’s demanded that we do pray to Him for everything. He’s invited us to enter His presence with prayer. He hears every single one of them. Each prayer has gone into golden bowls. He is not a God who is far off. He is near. The Bible even says He camps around those who fear Him. It also says He is near to the broken-hearted.

As I walk through this valley, I know God is with me. He says He is and I believe Him. He is near to the brokenhearted. He lives in every Believer. Those verses bring me so much comfort.

“The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him. and rescues them.” (Pslams 34:7)

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted…” (Psalms 34:18)

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you…” (James 4:8)

So Believer are you going through some sort of trial? Are you walking through a valley. Don’t forget the gifts God has given us. We may not be able to see Him, but He hasn’t left us as orphans. He asks us to pray. He asks us to draw near to Him. And He tells us we have His presence living inside of us to bring us comfort. And the beautiful thing about valleys is that they have an end. We come out the other side.

It’s been awhile. The reason for my absence is two-fold. I’m still going through this trial and I’ve been really busy with my new job.

Waiting through this trial, I’ve spent a lot of time reading the Bible about prayer. God talks a lot about prayer. He tells us how to pray. He tells us what to pray. He tells us how much we should pray. In studying these passages, I make sure and do what God tells me.

God tells us to cast our anxiety upon him.

“casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

He has big shoulders. No problem is too big or too small.

God tells us to keep asking.

“In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’ For a while he was unwilling, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’ And the Lord said, Hear what the unrighteous judge said, now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly.” (Luke 18:2-8)

God basically tells us to keep asking. You know, nagging. Maybe we can call it spiritual nagging. Or, holy nagging. I like that better-holy nagging. It’s true! Read that passage over again in Luke 18. God is saying be like the woman who kept coming to the judge and asking over and over again. He didn’t respond to her because he was righteous. He gave in to her because she wouldn’t stop asking. So that is exactly what I do. I cry out to God morning, noon and night. I don’t let up. That’s what He said to do.

So now the ball is in God’s court. I’ve done what He told me to do. I haven’t stopped praying. I haven’t stopped crying out to Him morning, noon, and night. This is what God says to do. It’s not my idea, it’s His!

And then I wait. I wait on His promises. I hold Him to His Word. I look foward to His work and intervention. He WILL intervene. I know He will. I believe Him.

I would encourage you to do the same, Believer. If you are going through a trial. If you have unanswered prayers, go to God and put the ball in His court. He is faithful. He will answer.

As I go through this trial, I’ve realized something. God is enough. There is an old hymn that keeps coming to mind. It goes like this:

1. My faith has found a resting place, 
Not in device or creed; 
I trust the ever living One, 
His wounds for me shall plead. 

Chorus 
I need no other argument, 
I need no other plea, 
It is enough that Jesus died, 
And that He died for me. 

2. 
Enough for me that Jesus saves, 
This ends my fear and doubt; 
A sinful soul I come to Him, 
He’ll never cast me out. 

3. 
My heart is leaning on the Word, 
The living Word of God, 
Salvation by my Savior’s Name, 
Salvation through His blood. 

4. 
My great Physician heals the sick, 
The lost He came to save; 
For me His precious blood He shed, 
For me His life He gave. 

That song has been ringing in my head throughout this trial. As I thought about it, I realized it is enough. I have been saved, washed in the blood of the Lamb. My eternity will be spent in heaven. I know this without question. If this trial is never resolved, this is a short, short time on earth. Then, I spend eternity with my Savior. That is enough.

I don’t need any argument. I don’t need anything else. I’m just traveling through this world and it won’t last very long. My salvation IS enough.

When the Apostle Paul had a thorn in his flesh he asked God to take it away. God said He wouldn’t. He told Paul that His grace is sufficient.

It is. God’s grace is sufficient for all Believers. He satisfies our hearts like nothing else can. He gives peace that the world cannot give. His word is like a balm that soothes our souls. Like Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego, they stood in the midst of a fiery furnace and did not got burned. Jesus stood with them. Not one hair of their head was singed. When we stand in the midst of a fiery trial, not one hair of our heads gets burned. The fire burns all around us, but we don’t feel it. God is there, with us. He is more than enough.

Those of you who believe, call upon the Lord. He is quick to answer. He will carry you through. He will protect you. He is enough.

It’s been two weeks since I’ve last written. I usually write something to start the new year, but I’m still in the midst of this trial. I pray day and night for God to come relieve me. He hasn’t yet, but I know He will.

In the midst of this trial I look at things differently. I try and keep my focus on the Lord. I try and be still and quiet. I know He’s heard my prayers. I know my prayers have gone into golden bowls. My heart is broken, yet He says in His word, He is near to the broken hearted. I take comfort in that. I take great comfort in the fact that my prayers have reached heaven. They’ve reached God’s ears. He’s heard every one of them. He knows my thoughts. He knows the number of hairs of my head.

This trial has woken me up, made me think and to evaluate my life. Was I doing everything I was supposed to be doing? Was I pleasing to God with my life? I would have to say I wasn’t.

Looking at myself, I had a great prayer life. I constantly pray. I always have. Where I was lacking was in reading my Bible. It wasn’t consistent at all. I would give myself excuses. Oh, I’ve read it before. I’ve done tons of studies on that book. I’ll just pray now and read my Bible later. But later would come, and I wouldn’t read it. Really studying God’s word, was a missing piece in my life, I’m ashamed to say.

So now I’ve thrown myself into consistently reading my Bible and boy what a difference it makes. Reading the Bible sets my brain on a good setting. It brings my eyes to focus on God and His words. It nourishes me. It quenches my thirst. I feel this sense of well-being after I’ve finished reading. When I look up from the scriptures, I don’t feel the heat of this trial anymore. It’s still there, but the sting is gone.

It is really embarrassing to admit that I let that part of my Christian walk slip out of my life. Sometimes that’s why we have fiery trials-it wakes us up. It helps us to reevaluate. It helps us to do a tuneup in our lives to make sure everything is running okay. I’ve been a Christian for a long time, but it just shows we have to keep on or things can grow stagnate.

Maybe you’re like me. Maybe you let the Bible slip out of your daily habits. If so, I want to really encourage you to get back into the word. Feast on God’s word daily. His words are like a balm for the believer’s soul. It comforts and soothes. It satisfies like nothing else can. We as Believers can slip up. But God will remind us. If you are going through anything, read the Bible. And if you come to the story about Judas hanging himself, you might want to skip that part for now and move on to something else.

This Friday we will celebrate Christmas. However we celebrate, it is a significant day. Yes, we don’t know the real date it happened. But we know it happened. The date isn’t important, it’s the fact that Jesus Christ came that’s important. He did come. He was born. He was born of a virgin.

And why did He come? He came to bring us life. He came to die. Maybe you’ve heard that too many times, and it’s become a a saying that’s so familiar you don’t even think about what that really means.

We are meant for death. We deserve eternal damnation. Yet Jesus Christ came to give us eternal life. How would He do this? He would die in our place. He came to die. He came to die for you and me. We don’t deserve it. We deserve something entirely different. But He came despite what we deserved.

But He didn’t just die. He didn’t stay dead. You can’t keep a good man down. Satan thought He had Him. The Jews thought they had Him. He was crucified. He was dead and everyone knew it.

And then. And then on that third day He rose from the dead. He arose from the dead! He was alive again! He took the punishment for our sin. He took the punishment for all of our sins. We don’t have to face damnation. We can accept His death as a substitute for all of our sins. He paid the price. He paid it all.

We just have to accept Him. Accept what He did. Take the gift. The gift of His life and resurrection. If you will believe that He died and rose again. If you will accept it, you will be saved.

So as you celebrate this Christmas, give thanks to the One who came. He came to die. He came to give us life. And whether we know the date or not it’s noteworthy to celebrate! Jesus Christ is our hope. Jesus Christ is our salvation. He came to die and we owe Him a huge debt. Merry Christmas!