I have thought myself to be a woman of faith. But in some situations anxiety has been a frequent companion. In those instances, my mind never seems to stop its efforts to “work it out,” meaning, I feel sure I can do something that will be more helpful, thus put an end to the dilemma.

Constantly I must pull back my helping hands, sit on my feelings of helplessness, and simply trust, praying, “God, help me to believe that you are in control.” Okay, then I may chortle at myself which brings a little relief—until the next round.

Fear is an awesome boxer, especially when our trainer—the world—repeatedly says, “Seeing is believing.” So, when we do not see any signs of getting what we hope for, when the odds look entirely against us, do we bolt? Run and hide? Or, as believers choose to stand on higher ground?

Our reality as people of faith calls us to look beyond difficult situations, keeping our eyes on the horizon of hope. The writer of Hebrews explains: “Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see,” (Hebrews 11:1).

When we are gasping for breath within life’s battle of addiction, financial concerns, unemployment, relational struggles, or squaring off with challenging health concerns (the list goes on) . . . hoping to get at least a toe-hold . . . where do we turn?

A good starting point is to link into the sermons and teachings of God’s faithful servants, our priests and pastors, and to the inspired pages of the Bible. It was St. Paul who instructed us to find faith “through hearing, what is heard being the word of Christ.”

It is so easy to use religious phraseology, expressing what we hold to be true, but when our backs are against the ropes, where it feels like we are taking one swift blow after another, this is a different matter. To say at that point, “I know God will triumph” means faith is speaking.

One writer, Oswald Chambers, put it this way: “The trial of our faith gives us a good banking account in the heavenly places, and when the next trial comes, our wealth there will tide us over. If we have confidence in God beyond the actual . . . we shall see the lie at the heart of the fear, and our faith will win through in every dilemma.”

This points to spiritual muscle, something we do not acquire by curling up in the corner fretting about our losses. It comes in exercising our faith, volleying it over and over into the face of our fears.

Words written long ago by Isaiah bless me today: “Because the Lord helps me, I will not be dismayed. Therefore, I have set my face like flint to do His will and I know I will triumph,” (Isaiah 50:7).

Comfort comes, too, in saying, “God, you must trust me a lot or you would know I couldn’t go through this!” For sure, He always offers enough encouragement to keep us, His people, from bolting and running to the side of bitterness, cynicism and revolt.

Some, like my husband, Gary, live out a philosophy of “I’ll take each day as it comes; there is no sense in worrying about tomorrow.” This is almost word for word what Jesus said. But there are times when this is hard for some of us to believe. People like me, who seem to have been born battling tendencies to look ahead, adjust and fix, think we can somehow save ourselves from something bad happening. In part, this is true. But we can overdo it. We need not to be worriers. With God’s help—and our faith—we always come out on top while gaining a new perspective.

It helps within this stage of the “fight” to become aware when fear is creeping into our thoughts. (This sounds simple, but recognizing when we are worrying is one mighty big first step!) Second, speaking to the fear outright, saying, “Be gone!” puts us in command. Next, offer up praise to God that He is all powerful and in control of all. Rejoice in the fact we are never alone. The Lord is always with us! And, each time our faith is tried we can emerge as stronger people.

That heavenly bank account spoken of earlier can at times seem too small, yet there is always enough for what is needed—if we don’t panic. The fact we keep increasing our ability to trust—while not giving up, is the reason we come out triumphant. It could take a while, but it’s sure to come.

For believers, our reality does not lie within circumstances. Our reality lies with trusting God, knowing “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose,” (Romans 8:28).