If you’re a BarlowGirl fan, you probably know that they were here last week for Winter Jam 2008. BarlowGirl is a contemporary Christian girl band. Anyone who’s listened to our local Christian radio station for even a couple of hours has probably heard this sister-trio sing. They inspire growth with songs like “Never Alone,” “Mirror” and “Million Voices.” But, my favorite song is “I Believe in Love.” Saturday, they shared the story behind that song and I can’t get this story out of my head….

After the war, soldiers explored a concentration camp. They entered a cell where men had been kept. In that cell, they found these words scratched into the wall: “I believe in the sun, even when it’s not shining. I believe in love, even when I can’t feel it. And, I believe in God, even when He is silent.”

There, in a place absent of light and opposed to hope, this nameless man of faith endured darkness like few of us have ever encountered. But, even in the face of evil, this man held on to something that was greater than the darkness. They may have broken his heart when they tore him from his family, they may have broken his body with savage brutality, but they could not touch his spirit. Whether deliverance was to come or not, his decision was made: I will not renounce my God.

Where faith seemed impossible under the weight of injustice and suffering, God breathed hope into that man’s resolved spirit and he chose to “believe in love, even when he could not feel it.” Sometimes, faith is the decision to never let go of what you know is true about your Lord, even when circumstance tempts you to doubt. It is that decision that enables a victim to say, “God is greater than the darkness.” Perhaps, Job said it best when he looked past his crisis to write this everlasting testimony of living faith: “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand upon the earth.” (Job 19:25). By faith, Job understood that he was loved and redeemed by Sovereign God.

These were not men who shook angry fists at heaven in the heat of trials. No, these men were looking beyond their life into eternity and choosing to hold on a little bit longer for the love of their God. In the most heartrending moments of their lives, they penned praises and etched quotes of faith on their prison walls. Can we escape their story without examining our personal reaction to hard times?

Many of us can’t begin to understand suffering to the degree these men endured it, but we are familiar with situations that challenge our faith. Adversity has a way of squeezing us and wringing out of us whatever is most deeply resident in us. Veneers just don’t hold up under the scrutiny of true tragedy. For some, our painful ordeals reveal unwavering devotion. For others, they reveal a shallow, unsustaining faith. But, either way, we are unveiled.

Our obstacles are faith-opportunities. Let’s demonstrate our tenacity. Whatever your burden, whatever my burden — we can hold on a little bit longer. We can grab the hand of our Redeemer and refuse to let go. We can shout back at the darkness, “Do what you will, I’m on holding on to Him.”

I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. (Psalm 16:8)

Liz Miller lives in Daphne with her husband, Matt, and son, Logan. She looks forward to responding to your thoughts, prayer requests and guest speaker invitations, please write to millerfam3@hotmail.com.