Do Not Waver in Unbelief – Be Strengthened in Faith
Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. – Romans 4:20
1 Samuel 30:1-6
David and his men arrived home at their town of Ziklag. They found that the Amalekites had made a raid into the Negev and Ziklag; they had crushed Ziklag and burned it to the ground. They had carried off the women and children and everyone else, but without killing anyone. When David and his men saw the ruins and realized what had happened to their families, they wept until they could weep no more.
David was now in great danger because all his men were very bitter about losing their sons and daughters, and they began to talk of stoning him. But David found strength in the LORD his God.
The Reality of Adversity
Our world bears the deep marks of sorrow, loss, and disappointment. Sometimes suffering feels remote, unfolding in places we have never visited and in the lives of people we do not know. At other times, it draws painfully close, pressing into our homes, our communities, and our own hearts. In recent years, nations across the world have endured floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, cyclones, tsunamis, earthquakes, civil unrest, and a devastating pandemic. The scale of destruction has been immense, and the grief left in its wake has been profound.
Charles Stanley speaks to this reality with striking honesty: “If you want God’s best in your life and you want to make your life count, then you can expect to travel the road of adversity. It’s always there. And it’s amazing how somehow God uses adversities in our life to shape us, to make us fit, and to equip us to do the things that He desires to do in us and through us in life. And when you think about what adversity is, adversity is those ‘dark moments’ in our life.”
His observation captures an important truth: adversity is not merely an unwelcome disruption in the life of faith. More often, it is one of the Father’s primary tools of spiritual formation. What feels destructive in the moment may, under His hand, become deeply transformative over time. He uses seasons of pain, uncertainty, and upheaval to deepen and mature His people. What appears at first to be only suffering often becomes the setting in which endurance is developed, character is strengthened, and faith is made steady.
In this way, external turmoil and internal distress become instruments in the Father’s hands. Through them, He produces a deeper resilience and cultivates a more stable spiritual life. Crisis can give rise to courage, tragedy can cultivate trust, failure can produce stronger faith, and loss can expand a person’s capacity for wisdom, leadership, and spiritual strength. Far from being meaningless, adversity often becomes one of the most powerful contexts in which the Father refines His children and prepares them for what lies ahead.
Dark Moments and the Response of Faith
Seasons of darkness do not always pass quickly. They may last for days, months, or even years. Charles Stanley describes such periods as times when we may feel “depressed, anxious, fearful, thoughtless, sinful, you name it.” These experiences are part of life in a fallen world. They don’t mean the Father has lost control; instead, they often become the very setting where His sustaining power is most clearly displayed. They cannot always be prevented, understood, or escaped. Yet what matters most is not merely that suffering comes, but how we respond to it.
Suffering places great pressure on the heart. If left unchecked, hardship can give way to anger, bitterness, fear, or despair. The Scriptures, however, point to another way. Rather than yielding to discouragement, the child of the King is called to lean more fully on the Father, discovering in affliction an invitation to deeper trust.
David’s experience at Ziklag provides a powerful example. 1 Samuel 30:1-6 recounts one of the darkest moments of his life. When David and his men returned, they found the city destroyed and their families taken captive. Overwhelmed by grief and surrounded by danger, David did not surrender to despair. Instead, 1 Samuel 30:6 records, “David drew strength from the LORD his God.” In that moment, David did not deny the depth of his grief; he refused to let grief have the final word.
That brief statement captures the pattern of David’s life. In deep distress, he turned to the Father as the source of his strength. He sought Him in dependence, prayer, and worship. Through such trials, the Father shaped David’s character and prepared him for future responsibility. In suffering, David learned to look beyond immediate pain and to entrust the outcome to the Father, who rules all things faithfully and well.
The Perspective of God
Isaiah 46:9-10:
“Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me. Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.”
This passage reminds us that the Father sees what we cannot. He knows the end from the beginning, and nothing happens outside His sovereign will. Our vision is limited and often clouded by fear, but His perspective is perfect, complete, and unshaken. His sovereignty is neither cold nor impersonal; the Father rules with perfect wisdom, unwavering love, and deliberate care for His children. In seasons of adversity, this truth anchors the soul. What seems chaotic from our vantage point remains fully governed by Him.
REFLECT & PRAY
Our hard moments are not wasted. They are not meant to break us. Rather, they are the very soil where endurance takes root and grows stronger. As it does, we become more complete and whole, lacking nothing. We are prepared for whatever comes next. Even when the way forward is unclear, the Father is never uncertain about what He is accomplishing through our trials.
Father, help me trade my limited perspective for Yours. You see the end from the beginning, and You are always at work, carrying out Your will on earth as it is in heaven. When I cannot yet see Your purpose, teach me to trust Your heart. Sustain me as I wait and keep my faith steady until You complete Your work in me.
INSIGHT
The Nature of Adversity
Adversity, suffering, and seasons of darkness are unavoidable realities in a fallen world. Trouble is not a rare exception experienced by only a few; it is part of the human condition. For that reason, children of the King should not be surprised by hardship but prepared to meet it with faith.
Job 5:7 “For man is born for trouble, as sparks fly upward.”
The Transformative Nature of Suffering
Adversity should not be quickly seen as a sign of failure or divine neglect. Instead, it often signals that transformation is taking place. The Father uses trials, experiences His people would not choose for themselves, and allows hardship only while it serves His divine purpose, bringing it to an end once that purpose is fulfilled.” Suffering, then, is neither random nor eternal; its duration is limited by God’s wisdom and design. Though difficult periods may feel endless, they will not last a moment longer than the Father deems necessary to accomplish His work within us. Their length is measured not by our comfort, but by His design and plan.
Trusting the Father in Uncertain Times
In difficult seasons, we naturally seek clarity. We want to understand our purpose, discern God’s intentions, and make sense of the suffering we face. Yet the Father may not provide complete answers. In those moments, faith must rest not on explanations but on His character. Rather than answer every question, He often calls His people to trust Him. In this way, we learn to rely on the constancy and perfection of His character, even when we cannot fully understand His ways.
One of the great challenges of faith is trusting who the Father is when our understanding is limited. Children of the King must remember that He is never uncertain, confused, or delayed in carrying out His will. His wisdom never fails, His plans remain steadfast, and His sovereignty over history is absolute.
Building confidence in adversity, then, begins with a proper understanding of God Himself. He is the one true God, without equal. His purposes are unassailable, His plans cannot fail, and His will is sure. What He has ordained will inevitably come to pass, no matter how obscure or painful present circumstances may seem. For that reason, trust is not wishful thinking; it is a reasoned confidence in the Father’s character and rule.
God’s Sovereignty and Uniqueness
God is utterly distinct from idols, earthly power, and human wisdom. While people can only respond to events as they happen, God declares what is to come before it happens. As history unfolds under His authority, His purposes are unshakable, and His plans are realized, giving His children confidence.
Isaiah 46:9-10
“Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me. Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass.”
God Without Equal
Children of the King are called to remember His faithfulness throughout history. By directing them to look back at what He has already done, the text confirms the reliability of His character. Nothing is random or beyond His control. It also highlights the Father’s absolute uniqueness: no one can be compared to Him, for He stands above all creation and no rival.
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© Dr. H 2026
