You are certainly not alone. We all go through times of difficulties, discouragements and regrets about life. Yet God's Word provides many encouraging solutions to our human dilemmas. Jesus Christ said: "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). The apostle John wrote: "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers" (3 John 2).

While God wants us to experience a positive and encouraging Christian life in the here and now, He is even more concerned with our awesome potential of enjoying everlasting life with Him in His Kingdom. But getting there isn't an easy journey, since society is mostly focused on the here and now. Jesus Christ tells us that "narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7:14).

As Paul and Barnabas reminded members of the early Church, "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22). At times God even uses our discouraging "down" times to help bring us to our senses and cause us to rely more on Him, increasing our faith.

It is often helpful to consider the source of our discouragements and trials in life. We may even suffer for doing godly things. The apostle Peter tells us: "For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil" (1 Peter 3:17). Also: "Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter" (1 Peter 4:16).

Moses actually chose the consequences of this godly type of suffering over the comforts of a sinful life apart from God (Hebrews 11:25). The majestic salvation our Creator is planning for the rest of eternity will pale into insignificance the sufferings we experience today. Consider the comparison the apostle Paul makes: "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18).

Jesus Christ tells us that we "always ought to pray and not lose heart" (Luke 18:1). Yet we are human and sometimes fall short of that ideal, inevitably losing faith and becoming discouraged on occasion. But Paul has the antidote. He wrote to the brethren at Corinth: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God" (2 Corinthians 1:3-4, emphasis added).

Ask God to encourage you and restore your faith in Him! His ears are open to our cry (Psalm 34:15).

At the same time, you should do what you can to rebuild and restore that faith. The Good News has run many articles profiling the lives of biblical personalities and the trials they went through, as well as many other pieces proving the trustworthiness of the Bible as God's Word.

We also offer a wealth of information in our literature library that addresses these human dilemmas and questions. For instance, we offer free booklets with the following titles: Life's Ultimate Question: Does God Exist?, Who Is God?, Why Does God Allow Suffering?, You Can Have Living Faith and Making Life Work. You can read, request or download these booklets online or we can mail them to you free of charge.