When we are going through trials - especially severe and prolonged ones - it can be tempting to give in to doubt and discouragement. But if we remember that a lack of faith can rob us of God's best, we can cooperate with Him to resist weakening and wavering in our belief. One way we can do that is to study how God's people in the Bible stood firm in difficult times, and received the miracles that He had for them.

When I was going through a very long trial of my own, I sought the Lord about how I could stabilize my wavering faith, which I knew wasn't helping my situation. He led me to Hebrews 11:11 (NIV), which says: "By faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered Him faithful who had made the promise." The words, "she considered Him faithful" came alive in my spirit, and I began to understand what the Lord was saying to me. If I would make a quality decision to believe that God was indeed faithful - to His character, His Word, and His promises - my faith would hold steady so that I could receive the blessings and rewards He had in store for me.

The Bible makes it clear that Sarah's situation looked hopeless. She was well past the age of childbearing, and yet God had promised her and Abraham a child of their own. To her credit, "she considered [God] Who had given her the promise to be reliable and trustworthy and true to His word." (Hebrews 11:11 AMP) And as a result, she saw the fulfillment of His promise to her. Jesus' mother, Mary, is another woman in the Bible who can provide us with inspiration in this area. An angel from the Lord told her that she would give birth to a son, even though she had never been intimate with a man. And yet, the Scriptures say of her, "Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill His promises to her!" (Luke 1:45 NIV) In other words, she considered God faithful - and became the mother of the promised Messiah.

I don't know what difficulties or heartaches you may be facing right now, but I can tell you this: If you will trust in the faithfulness of God, you will see Him move heaven and earth to bring His very best purposes to pass in your life. Today, join with me in declaring - "I refuse to doubt my God!"

Prayer: Lord, forgive me for the times I missed out on Your best for me because I doubted Your goodness, Your wisdom, and Your Word. Help me to cooperate with You for the building of my faith through personal worship, prayer, and Bible study, so that I can stand firm in the most difficult of times. Remind me of inspiring biblical accounts like Sarah's and Mary's so that I won't yield to unbelief in tests and trials. Today, I purpose in my heart to consider You faithful, Lord!