WHEN LIFE DOES NOT MAKE SENSE

There are some seasons of life when faith feels easy.

You pray, and things seem to fall into place. You ask God for something, and the answer comes quickly. Your plans work. Your family is doing well. Your health is good. Your business is moving forward. You look around and say, “God has been faithful,” and you mean every word of it.

But then life changes.

A door you expected to open remains firmly shut. A prayer you have prayed repeatedly seems to receive no answer. Someone you love disappoints you. You lose an opportunity you desperately wanted. You experience financial pressure. You watch other people move forward while you seem to be standing in the same place.

And suddenly, faith is no longer just something you sing about on Sunday.

It becomes something you have to live.

I think this is one of the hardest parts of the Christian journey. We often talk about trusting God when things are going well, but what does trusting Him look like when nothing makes sense?

What does faith look like when you have prayed and are still waiting?

What does it look like when you have done your best and the result is still disappointing?

And perhaps the most difficult question of all:

What do I do when I believe in God but I do not understand what He is doing?

Faith Is Not the Absence of Questions

Sometimes we make Christianity look as though a strong believer should never have doubts, questions, tears, or moments of weakness.

I don't believe that is true.

The Bible is filled with people who struggled.

David cried out to God in the Psalms. Job questioned his circumstances. Jeremiah expressed his pain openly. Even Jesus, in the garden of Gethsemane, experienced deep anguish before His crucifixion.

Faith does not mean that I understand everything.

Sometimes faith simply means that, despite what I cannot explain, I choose not to walk away from God.

There is a difference between saying, “I don't understand God” and saying, “There is no God because I don't understand Him.”

The first can be the beginning of a deeper relationship with God. The second can become the end of one.

I have come to realize that God does not become less faithful simply because I do not understand His timing.

Some of Us Are Waiting

Perhaps you are reading this while waiting for something.

Maybe you are waiting for employment.

Maybe you have been praying about your marriage, your family, your education, your finances, or your future.

Perhaps you are a young person who has worked hard but still does not know what direction your life is taking.

Maybe you are watching your friends succeed while you keep wondering, “When will it be my turn?”

This is especially real for many Nigerians.

We live in a country where uncertainty can become part of everyday life. A graduate may spend years searching for meaningful employment. A parent may worry about school fees and household expenses. Someone may have a promising business idea but lack the resources to begin. Another person may be considering leaving the country because they no longer see a future where they are.

And through all of this, Christians are still expected to have faith.

But faith does not mean pretending that these things do not hurt.

It means learning how to carry the pain without allowing it to destroy our hope.

God Has Never Promised Us a Trouble-Free Life

One of the mistakes we sometimes make as Christians is assuming that because we belong to God, everything should always work out smoothly.

But Scripture never makes such a promise.

Jesus Himself told His followers that they would face trouble in this world. (John 16:33)

Psalm 34:19 reminds us that the righteous are not exempt from trouble.

That may not be the message we want to hear, but it is an honest one.

Being a Christian does not mean you will never cry.

It does not mean you will never experience disappointment.

It does not mean every business venture will succeed or every prayer will be answered in the way you expect.

Faith is not a guarantee that storms will never come.

Faith is knowing where to turn when they do.

Sometimes the Answer Is Not What We Expected

I have noticed that one of the hardest things about prayer is that we often approach God with an idea of what the answer should look like.

We pray for a particular job.

We pray for a particular relationship.

We pray for a particular opportunity.

We pray for healing.

We pray for a particular outcome.

Then, when something different happens, we wonder whether God heard us at all.

But perhaps one of the greatest acts of faith is learning to leave room for God to answer differently from how we imagined.

That does not mean we should stop asking.

It means we should learn to pray with both desire and surrender.

“God, this is what I want. This is what I am asking You for. But if Your answer is different from mine, help me trust You enough to receive it.”

That is not an easy prayer.

But it is a mature one.

Do Not Confuse Waiting With Abandonment

There are seasons when nothing appears to be happening.

You pray.

You wait.

You try again.

You pray some more.

And still, silence.

It can be tempting to conclude that God has forgotten you.

But silence does not always mean absence.

A seed planted beneath the ground looks inactive before it begins to grow. From the surface, nothing seems to be happening. Yet beneath what we can see, something may be taking place.

I think some seasons of our lives are like that.

We may not see the growth.

We may not see the preparation.

We may not see the reason.

We may only see the waiting.

But waiting can change us.

Romans 5:3–5 connects suffering with perseverance, character, and hope.

James 1:2–4 similarly teaches that the testing of faith can produce perseverance and maturity.

This does not mean we should enjoy suffering for its own sake.

It means difficult seasons can produce things in us that comfortable seasons sometimes cannot.

Patience.

Wisdom.

Compassion.

Strength.

Humility.

A deeper dependence on God.

You Can Cry and Still Have Faith

I think someone needs to hear this:

Crying does not mean you have lost your faith.

Being tired does not mean you have failed God.

Admitting that you are struggling does not make you a bad Christian.

Sometimes we are so afraid of appearing weak that we hide our pain behind religious words.

Someone asks, “How are you?”

“I'm blessed.”

But inside, you are exhausted.

Someone asks, “How is everything?”

“God is in control.”

And yes, He is—but perhaps you also need someone safe to talk to.

Faith does not require pretending.

There is room in Christianity for tears.

There is room for lament.

There is room for honest prayer.

There is room to say, “Lord, I don't understand this.”

And there is something beautiful about being able to say it to God rather than carrying it alone.

But Do Not Stop Moving

There is another side of faith that we sometimes forget.

Trusting God does not mean doing nothing.

If you are praying for employment, keep applying.

If you are praying for academic success, study.

If you are praying for a better future, prepare yourself for it.

If you are praying for your business to grow, learn, improve, and work.

If you are waiting for an opportunity, become ready for the opportunity you are asking for.

Prayer and action are not enemies.

Sometimes we say, “I'm waiting on God,” when what we really mean is that we are afraid to take the next step.

Faith does not remove responsibility.

It gives us courage to take the next step even when we cannot see the entire road.

What If Your Faith Is Being Built, Not Broken?

Perhaps the difficult season you are in is not proof that your faith is failing.

Perhaps it is exposing what your faith is built on.

There is a difference between believing God because everything is going according to plan and trusting God even when the plan has fallen apart.

The second kind of faith is deeper.

Anyone can praise God when the testimony has arrived.

But there is something powerful about praising Him while you are still waiting for the testimony.

Anyone can say, “God is good,” when the door has opened.

But faith says it when the door has remained closed.

Anyone can smile when the answer comes.

But sometimes faith is simply waking up the next morning, praying again, doing your best, and refusing to give up.

Keep Walking

If you are in a difficult season right now, I do not know exactly what you are facing.

Maybe nobody around you understands it.

Maybe you have prayed about it so many times that you are tired of talking about it.

Maybe you have started wondering whether God still remembers your name.

I want to remind you of something:

A difficult chapter is not the whole story.

You may not know what tomorrow will bring.

You may not understand why this particular door closed.

You may not know how the situation will change.

But you can choose what you will do today.

You can pray.

You can seek wisdom.

You can ask for help.

You can work.

You can rest.

You can cry.

You can begin again.

And you can keep trusting God one day at a time.

Peter's words in 1 Peter 5:10 offer a reminder that suffering is not presented as the final destination; restoration and strengthening belong to God's promise.

So if your faith is being tested right now, don't be ashamed of the struggle.

Let it teach you.

Let it deepen you.

Let it draw you closer to God rather than further away.

And when you cannot see the whole road, take the next step you can see.

You don't have to understand everything today.

Sometimes faith is simply saying, “Lord, I don't know what You are doing, but I choose to keep walking with You.”

And perhaps, for this season, that is enough.