QTM 111 How to Keep Faith When Life Is Hard

How to Keep Faith When Life Is Hard

To the reader:

How do you keep faith when life is hard? Maybe you have felt it: you take two steps forward, and then something knocks you five steps back. You get sick. Someone betrays you. You lose a job or a relationship. You pray, and it feels like the ceiling is made of concrete. You start to wonder if God has left the building—or if you are doing something wrong.

This paper is about what the Bible actually says about trouble, exhaustion, and hope. Jesus never promised His followers a smooth ride. He promised peace in Him—and He promised that in this world we would have trouble. So the first step in keeping faith when you are worn down is to adjust what you expect. Life is not a cruise; it is more like a battle. Once we get that straight, we can look at how to stand firm.

"Come now, let us reason together." — Isaiah 1:18

1. Why Life Is Hard

We often assume that if we live right or believe right, life should be mostly smooth. When we take two steps forward and get thrown five steps back, we think something is broken—either God is not protecting us, or we are not believing correctly.

The Bible says something different. Jesus told His disciples plainly what to expect. Speaking to them shortly before His death, He said:

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." — John 16:33, NIV

The word translated "trouble" here means pressure or squeezing. Jesus is saying that in this world, pressure is normal. When life pushes back on you, you are not experiencing a glitch—you are experiencing what He said would happen. So the first step in regaining faith when you are exhausted is to accept that the world is broken and God never promised us a trouble-free life. He promised us Himself.

Why is the world like this? The Bible says creation itself is under frustration and decay—not because it wanted to be, but because of human rebellion. But it also says creation will one day be set free. So trouble is real, but it is not the last word.

"For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay…" — Romans 8:20–21, NIV

"Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you." — 1 Peter 4:12, NIV

"In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor…" — 1 Peter 1:6–7, NIV

Trials are not a sign that God has forgotten you. The Bible says they can refine faith like fire refines gold. Historian Rodney Stark, writing about why Christianity grew under persecution, noted:

"Christianity provided a much more satisfactory account of why these terrible times had fallen upon humanity, and it projected a hopeful portrait of the future." — Rodney Stark, The Rise of Christianity, Princeton University Press, 1996, p. 80

And the early church father Tertullian observed that persecution did not wipe out the church; it spread it: "The oftener we are mown down by you, the more in number we grow; the blood of Christians is seed." (Apologeticus, c. 197 AD)

"…we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." — Romans 5:3–4, NIV

The Bible does not just say "you will suffer." It says that suffering, when we hold on to God, can produce perseverance, character, and hope. The early church did not survive because they were spared hardship. They survived because they expected it and knew where to look for strength. The book of Acts says we must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22). So step one: stop expecting a frictionless life. Trouble is normal. God is still good.

2. When You Feel Worn Out

When you are thrown "five steps back," the main danger is not just the setback—it is the exhaustion that follows. We expect effort to pay off. When it does not, we wear ourselves out trying to figure out why and how to fix it.

The Bible says two things are true at once: on the outside we are wasting away, but on the inside we can be renewed day by day. What we see (trouble, decay) is temporary. What we do not see (God's work in us, eternal glory) is what lasts.

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." — 2 Corinthians 4:16–18, NIV

So how do you focus on faith when all you can think about is surviving the next blow? The Bible says: fix your eyes on Jesus. He endured the cross and sat down at the right hand of God. When you consider Him—what He suffered and what He accomplished—you are less likely to grow weary and lose heart.

"…fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." — Hebrews 12:2–3, NIV

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." — Hebrews 11:39–12:1, NIV

We are not asked to trust a theory. We are asked to fix our eyes on a real person—Jesus—who really suffered and really rose. The same Bible that says "consider him" also records that He appeared to many witnesses after His resurrection (e.g., 1 Corinthians 15:5–6). So faith is not a leap into the dark; it is looking at the one who has already run the race and won.

Does giving meaning to suffering actually help? Viktor Frankl, who survived the Nazi death camps, wrote:

"In some way, suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning, such as the meaning of a sacrifice." — Viktor E. Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning, Beacon Press, 2006, p. 113

The Bible gives that meaning: suffering can produce perseverance, character, and hope—and one day God will wipe every tear away.

"…the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." — James 1:3–4, NIV

3. Let God Carry the Load

When life is crushing you, the natural response is to "try harder"—to pray more, work more, believe more. That often leads to burnout. The Bible's answer is different: come to Jesus and give Him your burden.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." — Matthew 11:28–30, NIV

A yoke was used to share the weight between two animals. Jesus is not saying He will remove all work or trouble. He is saying He will carry the heaviest part with you. He holds everything together (Colossians 1:17); you can hand your anxiety over to Him.

"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." — 1 Peter 5:7, NIV

Rest is not an afterthought. Jesus said the Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27). God built rest into the design.

Sometimes we think that if we had enough faith, God would remove the problem. The apostle Paul asked God three times to remove a severe difficulty. God said no—and gave him something better: the promise that His power is made perfect in weakness.

"Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'" — 2 Corinthians 12:8–9, NIV

"That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." — 2 Corinthians 12:10, NIV

Salvation itself came when we were powerless (Romans 5:6). So weakness is not a sign that God has left; it is often where He does His best work. And when we fail morally, we can still come back:

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." — 1 John 1:9, NIV

God also knows we are physical. When the prophet Elijah was so exhausted and afraid that he asked to die, God did not give him a sermon. He gave him sleep and food. Then He spoke (1 Kings 19:4–8). The Bible says God remembers that we are dust (Psalm 103:14). Jesus Himself got tired (John 4:6). So sometimes the way to "keep faith" is to sleep, eat, and take care of your body. You cannot out-pray a sleep deficit.

Some say relying on God is a "crutch." The Bible says we were never meant to run on our own. Jesus said, "Apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5, NIV). In a world under frustration and decay, depending on Him is not weakness—it is the only way we were designed to work.

4. Remember What God Has Done

When you are overwhelmed, your mind fills with the present crisis. The Bible says to deliberately call to mind what God has done. In the book of Lamentations, someone in deep grief says his soul is downcast—then he forces himself to remember:

"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." — Lamentations 3:21–23, NIV

Remembering in the Bible is not passive nostalgia. It is actively tying your situation to God's character and past actions. Jesus told His followers to break bread and drink the cup "in remembrance of me" (Luke 22:19)—to regularly re-anchor their hearts to His death and resurrection.

When the present seems to say "God has abandoned you," the Bible says to expand the picture. Look at the years when God stretched out His hand. Remember His deeds and miracles (Psalm 77:10–12). The resurrection is the central fact: Jesus really died and really rose and appeared to many (1 Corinthians 15:5–6). If God raised Him from the dead, your current trouble is not the last word.

And you are not meant to do this alone. God designed His people to carry each other's burdens (Galatians 6:2). When you are too exhausted to remember, the church is there to remember with you and for you. Two are better than one; if one falls, the other can help (Ecclesiastes 4:9–10).

5. Faith Is What You Do, Not Just What You Feel

When you are worn out, you often do not feel hopeful. But the Bible does not define faith as a feeling. It defines faith as trust and obedience—even when you feel terrible.

In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was in anguish. He asked the Father to take the cup from Him. But He said: "Yet not my will, but yours be done" (Luke 22:42, NIV). He did not feel good about what was coming. He still obeyed. The book of Hebrews says He learned obedience through what He suffered (Hebrews 5:8). So faith is not the absence of exhaustion or fear; it is the choice to obey and trust God even when you have them.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego faced the furnace. They said God was able to deliver them—"But even if he does not," they would not worship the king's gods (Daniel 3:16–18, NIV). They tied their obedience to God's character, not to the outcome. That is the same logic as Gethsemane: faith is doing the next right thing whether or not the pressure lets up.

You do not have to see the whole path. The Bible says God's word is a lamp for your feet—light for the next step, not the whole journey (Psalm 119:105). Jesus said not to worry about tomorrow; today has enough trouble of its own (Matthew 6:34). So when you are exhausted, focus on the next step, not the whole recovery plan.

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." — Galatians 6:9, NIV

The Bible says we live by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1). So when your feelings say "God is gone," you are not required to believe your feelings. You are invited to trust God's word and character—and to take the next step.

6. The Hope That Holds

Trouble and exhaustion are real, but they are not forever. The Bible says God will wipe every tear, and death and pain will be gone (Revelation 21:4). He is making everything new (Revelation 21:5). The body that dies will be raised imperishable (1 Corinthians 15:42–44). The last enemy to be destroyed is death (1 Corinthians 15:26). So the "two steps forward, five steps back" experience is not the final state. It is a temporary one, and God has promised an end to it.

When suffering fills your mind, the pain feels total. The apostle Paul—who was beaten, shipwrecked, and often in danger—wrote that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us (Romans 8:18). Creation itself will be set free from decay and brought into the freedom of the children of God (Romans 8:21). So we hold on not because today feels good, but because what is coming is better.

"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf." — Hebrews 6:19–20a, NIV

Hope holds because it is tied to God's unchanging promise and character (Hebrews 6:17–18). We have been born again into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus (1 Peter 1:3–4). The anchor is already set—in heaven, where Jesus has gone. Our job is not to create security; it is to remember that the anchor is there.

You can choose to rely on your own performance—and when you are exhausted, that will feel impossible. Or you can rely on the one who said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." The offer stands even when life is hard.