When faith meets questions

Have you ever noticed how life is full of questions that don't seem to have easy answers?

Some questions are amusing. Why do we drive on a parkway and park on a driveway? Why do people say they "sleep like a baby" when babies wake up every couple of hours?

But then there are the deeper questions.

Why do good people suffer while others seem to prosper? Why do prayers sometimes appear to go unanswered? Why does God seem silent when we desperately want Him to speak?

Those are the kinds of questions the prophet Habakkuk wrestled with.

Unlike many of the prophets, Habakkuk didn't simply deliver God's message. He argued. He questioned. He brought his confusion honestly before the Lord. Looking around at the violence, injustice, and suffering in his world, he cried out:

"How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?" (Habakkuk 1:2)

If we're honest, many of us have prayed some version of that prayer.

The beautiful thing about Habakkuk's story is that God did not reject him for asking hard questions. Scripture reminds us that faith and questions are not enemies. In fact, some of the most faithful people in the Bible wrestled deeply with God. The Psalms are filled with honest cries. Job questioned. Even Jesus, from the cross, asked, "My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

There comes a point in many believers' lives when what they see with their eyes doesn't seem to match what they believe in their hearts. A diagnosis. A loss. A broken relationship. An unanswered prayer.

What do we do then?

Some people walk away. Others pretend everything is fine. But Habakkuk shows us a better way: hold on.

Interestingly, the name Habakkuk can mean "to embrace" or "to wrestle." What a picture of faith! Sometimes faith is not having all the answers. Sometimes faith is simply refusing to let go of God when the answers don't come.

James reminds us:

"Consider it pure joy... whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance." (James 1:2-3)

The journey through doubt and uncertainty is rarely comfortable, but God often does some of His deepest work there. He forms a faith that is no longer dependent on circumstances, but anchored in His character.

If you find yourself in "Chapter One" today—wondering, waiting, questioning—take heart. You are in good company. Habakkuk was there. David was there. Job was there.

And God was faithful to every one of them.

So keep holding on. Wrestle if you must. Ask your questions. Bring your doubts honestly before the Lord.

But don't let go.

Because even when you cannot see His hand, you can trust His heart. And while you may be struggling to hold on to Him, He has never stopped holding on to you.

Peace that holds

We live in a world that promises peace everywhere we turn.

A vacation promises peace.
More money promises peace.
A better schedule, a cleaner house, fewer problems, less stress — all of it promises peace.

And yet so many people are still anxious, overwhelmed, exhausted, and spiritually restless.

Jesus understood this long before we did.

That’s why, before going to the cross, He spoke these words to His disciples:
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.” (John 14:27)

Did you catch that?

Jesus doesn’t just offer a peace. He offers His peace.

A different kind of peace.

Not a fragile peace that disappears the moment life gets difficult, but a deep, steady peace that holds us even in the middle of the storm.

Isaiah calls it “perfect peace” — shalom, shalom. A fullness of peace that comes when our minds are fixed on God.

And honestly, that’s the challenge, isn’t it?

Because our minds are often fixed on everything else:
the news,
the diagnosis,
the uncertainty,
the fear,
the what-ifs.

But Scripture reminds us:
“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you.” (Isaiah 26:3)

Peace is not found in pretending life is easy.
Peace is found in remembering that God is near.

The disciples learned this in the storm. Jesus didn’t remove the storm immediately. First, He spoke peace into it.

And maybe that’s what some of us need today.

Not the absence of problems, but the presence of Christ in the middle of them.

So take a breath.
Give the burden to Jesus again.
Fix your thoughts on what is true.
And remember this:

When we place our problems into His hands, He places His peace into our hearts.

peace in an anxious world

Let’s be honest—most of us are carrying something heavy right now.

We worry about our kids, our finances, our health, the future, the state of the world… and sometimes even a quick Google search can send us spiraling. (“Mild headache” suddenly becomes “prepare your will.”) The world gives us plenty of reasons to feel anxious.

But Jesus offers us something different.

In Matthew 6, five different times, Jesus says: “Do not worry.” Not because life is easy, but because God is faithful.

I love that Jesus points to the birds. He says they don’t worry about tomorrow, yet their Heavenly Father feeds them. Birds don’t panic—and they don’t sit around doing nothing either. They simply do what they were created to do and trust God with the rest.

There’s wisdom in that for us.

Worry has never healed a relationship, paid a bill, or added peace to anyone’s life. What it does do is rob us—of sleep, joy, energy, and trust in God.

So what do we do when anxiety starts closing in?

We look to our Father because He is faithful.
We look to our faith because faith conquers fear.
And we look to our future knowing God is still in control.

One of the simplest but most powerful reminders is this:

Do what you can do, and surrender to God what only He can do.

Pray. Take the next faithful step. Love well. Get help when needed. Open God’s Word before you open the panic spiral in your mind.

And then trust that the God who holds the universe also holds you.

Scripture reminds us: “The Lord is close to all who call on Him.” (Psalm 145:18)

So if you’re feeling anxious today, don’t let worry drive you away from God. Let it draw you closer to Him.

He is with you.
He is for you.
And He wil