7 Must-Wins: True Faith

We are continuing our fall blog series, “7 Must-Wins.” With a uniquely personal twist toward us as women, we will address seven topics that must be understood and walked out in order for us to have success in this life. To start with Part 1 of this series, click here.

My tiny four year old hands grabbed my mom’s face, cupped it and quietly reminded her that “big girls don’t cry.” My siblings and I had gathered around her on the piano bench and just watched her sob. I didn’t know it at the time but my mother had just sent my father off to receive some help for bipolar disorder—by far one of the hardest choices I know she ever had to make as a wife.

Despite my many hours in prayer and fasting, my father still has bipolar disorder. I have spent many years petitioning and bargaining with the Lord for wholeness and healing in my father’s body—I haven’t seen it happen yet.

I don’t know why people get cancer. I don’t know why recently in our media we see photographs of precious children washed up on the beach, or why people who love the Lord are being executed for what they believe. I don’t know why couples struggle to conceive, or why someone throws the towel in on their marriage, or why the widow lost her husband long before they had a chance to grow old together. I don’t know why “bad things happen to good people”—but I do know that my God is STILL good.

I think that it would be super easy to blame all of these unexplainable things on God. But I think as women of faith we have to take a look in the mirror and ask ourselves: Is my belief in God rooted in my circumstances, or in the finished work of the cross? Do I REALLY believe that I was the joy set before him as he endured the cross? Do I REALLY believe that my God is FOR me, and that he will FIGHT for me?

You see, true faith is not believing hard enough, and then once you have prayed enough you get to see the miracle. No. True faith is choosing to believe that he is GOOD even when your circumstances aren’t perfect. Your miracle is that the King of Kings loved you and chose you even in your sin. If we allow our view of God and his goodness to be trapped in a happy ending, we will miss the joy in the journey, and the miracles he provides along the way.

Because even though I haven’t seen my father’s circumstances change, I have seen God as my whole complete father, and allowed healing to take root in my heart. Even though the couple who couldn’t conceive had pain—they adopted a beautiful child who NEEDED a family. When we choose to quit camping out in our misery we will see that our mess isn’t because of God, but that he IS working all things together for our good.

I don’t know where you are today. I don’t know what miracle you are hoping for, or what circumstance you wish would change or go away—but I do know that our God, he is fighting for YOU and working ALL things together for your good—you need only be still. Find joy in the journey, sweet sister. You are not forgotten, and you are NOT alone.

This post was written by Maggie Riley. 

**To read part 6 of this series, click here.