I’ve had the privilege of meeting three recipients of the Victoria Cross, our highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy. I asked one of them what heroes feel when they do their heroic acts, and he told me they feel very frightened. That comment highlights the truth about courage. Courage is not fearlessness – if a person feels no fear then there is no great effort required to face danger. Courage is facing danger despite our fears.
In the same way, faith is not mindless belief – that’s more likely to be gullibility. Faith is having the courage to face our doubts and digging deep beyond our conflicting emotions to that bedrock conviction that God is there, even though we can’t see him and at that moment may not feel him. The Bible describes that faith as the firm foundation that makes life worth living.