As James said in Chapter One, -we must ask in faith without doubting. Faith is the conviction of things not yet seen. A conviction is a final verdict. When we are convicted that God will bring about what we have asked Him for, we are standing in faith.

The Bible says that without faith it is impossible to please God, for we must believe that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. God has commanded us to pray to Him in the name of Jesus, and He promises to faithfully answer our petitions in power.

Faith believes all things. Faith hopes all things. And hope is the anchor of our souls. When the storms of doubt come to sweep us away the anchor of hope holds. Because faith is the conviction of things not yet seen, we can conclude that faith sees the invisible and believes the impossible.

God is most pleased when we enter into the realm of impossibility - where there is no possible way out but with a God who knows no impossibilities. Regardless of what circumstances we may find ourselves in, we must never doubt in the dark what God has promised in the light. Circumstances cannot change God’s character. God is real, no matter how we may feel. 

The deepest level of worship is praising God in spite of the pain - thanking Him during a severe trial - loving Him even when He seems distant. Job lost all of his children in a single day. He suffered through one severe trial after another and then eventually found himself covered with painful boils from his head to his feet. Job was in so much agony that when his friends saw him they just sat speechless. Even his wife turned on him and counseled him to curse God and die.

On top of it all, he was falsely accused of secret sins which had brought this “judgment” upon himself. Actually, the exact opposite was the case. Job was experiencing such severe sufferings and trials because he was righteous. Job had lost everything, was in agony and felt abandoned by God. For 37 chapters God said nothing, yet He was working and Job was trusting. 

When this season of suffering was over God revealed Himself to Job and poured out His blessings upon him. God then used Job to intercede for others so we see that his suffering was not just for himself.

Because Job remained faithful, his sufferings became an opportunity for miracles. Job’s hope anchored his soul in faith, and he was not swept away by waves of doubt. Because he believed, he received.