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The steady, virulent progress of the malignant brain tumor gave real urgency to these questions for David. The disease had progressed relentlessly; a cure seemed unlikely. David knew he didn't have much time. He wanted his last few days on earth to count, to reflect a heart in tune with God's purposes. David wanted to know—he needed to know—if this painful death was really from God's hand. Would God care for his young wife and three children after he was gone? Would He really walk with them through the valley of the shadow of death? David needed to trust God, but how could he? How could he?

We understand David's questions. When our son Mark and his friend Kelly were killed in a car accident on July 6, 1993, our own struggle to survive nearly consumed us. Slowly and surely, however, God reminded us that just surviving is not enough. We needed a purpose, a reason to keep moving forward, or we were never going to make it. But, like David, we were weary, uncertain of whether we could really trust the God who was calling us to persevere.

Our search for answers led us to the book of Hebrews. This short book was most likely originally a series of short sermons written for people just like us—people tempted to give up their faith in the face of great hardship. These Hebrews, Jewish Christians for the most part who lived during the first century, were persecuted and afraid and discouraged. Some had already abandoned the faith and had returned to their former lifestyles; others were sorely tempted to do the same. Could God, through their faith, redeem their pain and give it meaning? Could that pain actually help them to encourage others in their faith or to help draw unbelievers to the heart of God (2 Corinthians 2:15–17)?

Indeed it could—but how? By faith. Where does that kind of faith come from? From God. He is the One who controls every detail of our lives; He is the One who loved us more than His own life. Such a faith can gently whisper "God does all things well" even when the heart cries out "Where are you, God? Where are you?"

Finally, how do we cultivate this kind of faith? The answer to that question is a topic addressed by Hebrews 11 in vivid and poignant detail.

We need a faith that is real, that is alive, a faith that holds up in the nitty-gritty problems and sorrows of everyday life. Such a faith is not some abstract concept but a shining and useful tool in our hands. The Hebrew believers needed desperately to remember that God had made a "covenant," a binding promise. God had promised to strengthen His people, to love them, to be with them, to redeem them. Like us, sometimes they forgot that God keeps His promises.

God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? (Numbers 23:19) The author of Hebrews, in chapter 11, reminds us that since God kept His promises of the past, we can also trust Him to keep His promises for the present and for the future. In Hebrews 11 we are given a priceless vision of what God has already accomplished through the covenant and through the faithful men and women who trusted Him. We are also given an encouraging glimpse of what lies ahead for us because of that same covenant, a vision that gives our lives and work here on earth new meaning. Spurred on by this vision we can persevere, by faith, no matter what our circumstances may be.

Many of the portraits in this "spiritual family album" are a little tarnished, with histories that are often quite colorful and, in some cases, even sordid. In looking at them, we sometimes felt, uncomfortably, that we were looking into a mirror. The weakness, the sin, the selfishness we saw in them we also saw only too well in ourselves. Yet in spite of their failings, God remained strong in upholding these flawed men and women, and this greatly encouraged us. Upon closer inspection, we also began to see the signs of God's faithfulness to His people, as marked by the seminal events in their lives, where God's great grace and strength somehow shone brightly through their weakness (Romans 8:28–29).

Our dear friend David had questioned whether God could be trusted through his pain. David, now in God's glorious presence, did learn the answer to his question. God can be trusted. God can be trusted! God is faithful and He can do amazing things with a yielded heart and life. What does it mean to trust God—and will you? Your life will reflect your answer to these questions as you run with perseverance the course God has marked out for you.

Excerpted from Treasures of Faith, Living Boldly in View of God’s Promises, Introduction.