I really don’t mean to sound disrespectful, but sometimes it feels like God would be found guilty of being unfaithful based on circumstantial evidence. A financial need goes unmet. A relationship conflict remains unresolved. The biopsy is positive for cancer. A loveless, sexless marriage is endured for another year.

Based solely on the circumstances, God looks guilty. It just doesn’t look like He can be believed.

A number of years ago, I was struggling through a season of doubt and discouragement. I’d felt sure God was going to come through, but He didn’t, at least not when or how I’d hoped. God looked guilty.

One night, as I doubted His faithfulness, I awoke from a terrible dream. In it, I’d been accused of murdering two people. I was innocent, but circumstantial evidence pointed to my guilt.

My first thought was, “Lord, what was that all about? It’s a terrible feeling to not be believed.”

It felt like God leaned over and whispered in my ear, “That’s how I feel when you don’t believe Me.”

Hebrews 11:1 in the Amplified Version says:

Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].

Circumstances reveal to the senses that God has dropped the ball. He’s not going to come through. He isn’t faithful. Circumstances can be deceiving. Innocent people get falsely accused. Wrong verdicts are reached.

But faith perceives as fact what is not revealed to the senses. Faith says, “Hold on, keep believing, the story hasn’t been fully written yet. God can be believed.”