FORGED FOR YOUR FUTURE ASSIGNMENT/Episode 8 – The Faith That Doesn’t Need an Explanation Trusting God While He Is Still Writing

Welcome to Pomoja Podcast. The place where stronger

lives are built, faith is strengthened, hearts

are encouraged, and Christ -centered homes are

shaped through ordinary conversations that become

extraordinary encounters with God's truth. I'm

your host, Barry Mwamba. Last time, we discovered

something that completely changed the way I look

at difficult seasons. We discovered that while

David was still sitting in the cave, God was

already gathering four hundred men, while Joseph

was still sleeping in prison. God was already

disturbing Pharaoh's dreams. While Shadrach,

Meshach, and Abednego were walking toward the

furnace, God had already gone before them. And

maybe, while you're walking through your own

valley today. God is already moving in ways you

cannot yet see. That conversation left me with

another question, one that honestly stayed in

my heart. If God is already moving, why doesn't

he simply tell us everything? Have you ever wondered

that? I certainly have. Why doesn't God simply

tell Joseph, don't worry, you'll only be in prison

for two more years? Why doesn't he tell David,

Those 400 men are already on their way. Why doesn't

he tell Daniel, the lions won't touch you? Why

doesn't he tell Abraham exactly when Isaac will

be born? Wouldn't that make life so much easier?

Wouldn't faith become so much easier? The more

I thought about that, the more I realized. Perhaps

God isn't trying to make faith easier. Perhaps

he's trying to make faith deeper. Because if

God explained everything, would we still need

faith? That question brought me straight to Hebrews

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

chapter 11. And I think for the first time I

began reading it differently. For years I thought

Hebrews 11 was simply a chapter about great men

and women of faith. Now I think it's something

much deeper. It's a chapter about ordinary people.

who kept trusting God while they didn't understand

what he was doing. That changes everything because

suddenly faith is no longer about seeing the

miracle. Faith becomes trusting God before the

miracle. Faith is no longer celebrating the answer.

Faith becomes continuing to pray before the answer

arrives. Faith is no longer standing on the other

side of the Red Sea. Faith is taking the first

step while the sea is still closed. And then

one sentence came into my spirit, a sentence

that has stayed with me ever since. Faith is

not understanding the author. Faith is trusting

the author while he is still writing. The more

I thought about that, the more I realized that's

exactly what every person in Hebrews 11 was doing.

None of them had the complete story. None of

them could see the last chapter. None of them

knew how everything would unfold. They simply

trusted the one holding the pen. And maybe that's

where you and I are today. Not at the end of

the story, not even close. We're somewhere in

the middle chapters. The chapters where questions

are still louder than answers, where promises

seem bigger than circumstances, where prayers

continue even when heaven appears silent. And

perhaps that is exactly where faith does its

greatest work. There is something I've noticed

about almost every servant of God. None of them

had the privilege of reading the last chapter.

while they were living the middle one. Joseph

didn't know prison would become the pathway to

the palace. David didn't know the cave would

become the birthplace of a kingdom. Abraham didn't

know how God would fulfill his promise. Paul

didn't know his prison letters would one day

become part of the New Testament. They all had

something in common. They knew God, but they

did not know the entire plan. And maybe that's

exactly how God intended it. Because if they

had known everything, it wouldn't have required

faith. Faith lives where explanations stop. Faith

begins where certainty ends. Faith continues

walking even when understanding cannot. And I

wonder if that's exactly why some of us are struggling.

Not because we lack God's promises. But because

we want explanations when God is inviting us

to trust and maybe That's exactly where faith

does its greatest work Not after the miracle

before it not after the answer before it not

after understanding before understanding ever

arrives I think that's why Hebrews chapter 11

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

has become one of my favorite chapters in the

Bible Because if you remove the miracles for

just a moment, what remains? People, ordinary

men and women, living one ordinary day at a time,

making one decision of obedience after another,

without knowing how their stories would end.

Sometimes we read Hebrews 11 as though those

men and women knew they would become heroes of

the faith, they didn't. Abraham had no idea millions

of people would one day call him the father of

faith. Joseph never imagined that one day children

would learn his story in Sunday school around

the world. David never thought the songs he was

writing in lonely caves would become worship

for generations. Paul never imagined that letters

written from prison would become part of the

New Testament. They were simply living, trusting,

obeying, one day at a time. And maybe that's

exactly what faith looks like, not seeing the

entire staircase, but taking the next step because

you trust the one who asked you to move. I think

sometimes we make faith look much more complicated

than it really is. We imagine faith as something

extraordinary, something reserved for spiritual

giants. But when I read Hebrews 11, I don't see

superheroes. I see people who simply decided,

I'm going to trust God today. That's all Abraham

could do. That's all Sarah could do. That's all

Moses could do. That's all Daniel could do. That's

all Paul could do. And maybe that's all God is

asking from us today, not to understand the next

10 years, simply to trust Him today. Because

the truth is, God rarely explains himself completely.

Have you noticed that? He gives Abraham a promise,

but not a calendar. He gives Joseph dreams, but

not an explanation of the prison. He anoints

David King, but doesn't tell him about the caves.

He calls Moses, but doesn't describe 40 years

in the wilderness. He calls Jeremiah, but doesn't

promise everyone will listen. He calls Paul,

but also tells him, I will show him how much

he must suffer for my name. God gives enough

light to take the next step, but rarely enough

to see the entire journey. And maybe that is

intentional, because if God showed me every chapter

of my life today, would I still need faith tomorrow?

Probably not. I would simply be following information.

Faith begins, where explanations end. Faith continues,

when emotions fluctuate. Faith remains, when

circumstances refuse to change. Faith keeps praying,

when heaven appears silent. Faith keeps worshiping,

when the prison doors remain closed. Faith keeps

loving, when life becomes difficult. Faith keeps

obeying, when obedience doesn't immediately make

sense. And I wonder if that's why God never gave

Joseph an explanation. Because Joseph didn't

need an explanation. He needed God's presence.

David didn't need an explanation. He needed God's

presence. Daniel didn't need an explanation.

He needed God's presence. Paul didn't need an

explanation. He needed God's presence. Do you

see something beautiful here? The more I read

the Bible, the more I realize God often gives

us something better than explanations. He gives

us himself. Moses understood that. When God told

him, my presence will go with you, Moses didn't

ask for a better strategy. He didn't ask for

a detailed map. He simply answered, if your presence

does not go with us, do not send us from here.

Why? because Moses had already discovered something.

The presence of God is greater than knowing tomorrow.

And I think that's where faith reaches maturity.

Not when I finally receive every answer I've

been asking for, but when I can honestly say,

Lord, I still have questions. There are still

things I don't understand. There are still prayers

I'm waiting to see answered. But I know you,

and knowing you is enough for me to keep walking.

I believe that is the faith Hebrews chapter 11

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

is talking about. Not faith that understands

everything, faith that trusts someone, faith

that has discovered. The author is trustworthy,

even when the chapter being written doesn't yet

make sense, and perhaps. That's why none of those

men and women quit Not because they had all the

answers but because they had become convinced

that the one writing their story would never

stop being faithful and That thought led me to

another question if faith is trusting the author

while he is still writing What happens? When

the chapter you're living looks nothing like

the promise he gave you I think that's where

Abraham's story begins. Because if there is one

man in the Bible who understood what it meant

to trust God without having every answer, it

was Abraham. Think about it for a moment. God

comes to Abraham and makes an incredible promise.

I will make you into a great nation. It's a beautiful

promise, an extraordinary promise. But there

was one problem. Abraham didn't even have a son.

Have you ever thought about that? God spoke about

a nation while Abraham was still waiting for

one child. I don't know about you, but if I had

been Abraham, I probably would have had a few

questions. Lord, you set a nation. Can we first

talk about one son? And maybe... That's exactly

where faith begins. Faith begins when God's promise

seems much bigger than your present reality.

Every morning Abraham woke up. The promise remained.

But nothing around him seemed to change. Another

day passed. Nothing. Another month. Nothing.

Another year. Still nothing. Can you imagine

that? The promise hadn't changed. God hadn't

changed. But Abraham's circumstances looked exactly

the same. I think that's where many believers

quietly struggle. We don't struggle because God

has never spoken. We struggle because He spoke.

And then everything became quiet. We expected

immediate movement. God invited us into waiting.

And waiting is probably one of the greatest classrooms

of faith, because waiting forces us to answer

one question. Do I trust God because I already

see the miracle? Or do I trust Him simply because

He spoke? Those are two very different kinds

of faith. One depends on visible evidence. The

other depends on the character of God. And when

I read Hebrews chapter 11, I realize God never

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

asked Abraham to believe in the impossible. He

asked Abraham to believe. In him, that changes

everything, because faith is not confidence in

circumstances. Faith is confidence in the one

who made the promise. The promise may seem impossible,

but the promiser remains faithful. Sarah eventually

learned the same lesson. At first, she laughed,

not because she hated God, because the promise

seemed impossible. Humanly speaking, It was impossible.

Time had already spoken. Age had already spoken.

Biology had already spoken. Everything around

her was saying, it cannot happen. But God had

already spoken. And when God speaks, His word

always has the final authority. That's why I

love something the angel asked Sarah. Is anything

too hard for the Lord? Notice, God didn't explain

how. He simply reminded her who he is. Sometimes,

God answers our questions, not by explaining

his methods, but by revealing his character.

That thought really challenged me because I realized

I spend too much time asking, how? While God

keeps reminding me, look at who is speaking.

Maybe faith has never been about understanding

God's methods. Maybe faith has always been about

knowing God's heart. And that's exactly what

Abraham learned. He never knew every detail.

He simply became convinced that the God who made

the promise was faithful enough to fulfill it.

Then something beautiful happened in my heart.

I realized every servant of God eventually reaches

this place. A place where they stop depending

on explanations and start depending on God's

character. Joseph reached that place. David reached

that place. Daniel reached that place. Paul reached

that place. And perhaps, God is inviting us there

too. Not to understand everything, but to know

Him so deeply that even when life doesn't make

sense, our confidence in Him never changes. Because

once you know the author, you stop panicking

every time you don't understand the chapter.

And that made me think about Joseph again, because

no one, perhaps more than Joseph, lived through

chapters that looked completely opposite to the

promise God had given him. Yet somehow, he never

stopped believing. God gave Joseph two dreams,

beautiful dreams, powerful dreams, dreams about

purpose, dreams about influence, dreams about

leadership. Imagine being Joseph that morning.

You're 17 years old. God has just shown you something

extraordinary about your future. If someone had

asked Joseph, what do you think happens next?

What do you think he would have answered? Perhaps,

God is about to open doors. Perhaps my life is

about to become easier. Instead, his brothers

hated him. Then they betrayed him. Then they

threw him into a pit. Then they sold him as a

slave. Then he was falsely accused. Then he was

forgotten in prison. Can you imagine how confusing

that must have been? Because if I compare the

dream to the journey, Nothing seems to match.

The dream speaks about leadership. The journey

speaks about slavery. The dream speaks about

honor. The journey speaks about humiliation.

The dream speaks about influence. The journey

speaks about isolation. Have you ever had a season

like that, where what God promised and what you

are experiencing seem to be moving in opposite

directions? I think many believers quietly lose

heart right there. Not because God failed to

speak, but because life stopped looking like

the promise. And yet, Joseph never stopped being

Joseph. Have you ever noticed that? He served

faithfully in Potiphar's house. He served faithfully

in prison. He interpreted dreams with the same

integrity, whether he was wearing a servant's

garment or a prisoner's garment. His circumstances

kept changing. His character didn't. That really

challenged me. Because sometimes we postpone

faithfulness until the miracle arrives. Joseph

remained faithful before the miracle. He remained

honest before justice. He remained excellent

before promotion. He remained dependent on God

before deliverance. And maybe that's what faith

really looks like. Faith is not waiting to become

faithful when life finally makes sense. Faith

is remaining faithful while life makes no sense

at all. Then something else caught my attention.

Joseph never spent his life trying to force God's

promise to happen. He didn't escape the prison.

He didn't manipulate Pharaoh. He didn't seek

revenge against his brothers. He simply remained

faithful where God had placed him. I wonder how

often we exhaust ourselves trying to open doors

that only God can open. Joseph teaches us something

beautiful. Your responsibility is faithfulness.

God's responsibility is fulfillment. That takes

a tremendous burden off our shoulders because

faith doesn't have to manufacture the miracle.

Faith simply continues walking with God until

his time arrives and maybe That's why Joseph

could later say to his brothers, you meant evil

against me, but God meant it for good. Notice,

he didn't say, now I understand everything. He

simply recognized that God had been writing another

story behind the one everyone else could see.

The pit wasn't the end. The slavery wasn't the

end. The prison wasn't the end. They were chapters.

necessary chapters, chapters Joseph would never

have chosen, but chapters God refused to waste.

And then it suddenly became personal for me.

How many chapters in my own life have I been

trying to close while God was still writing them?

How many times have I called something a failure,

that God was calling preparation? How many times

have I prayed, Lord, get me out? while God was

quietly saying, Barry, I'm not finished writing

this chapter yet. That thought changed me, because

maybe the goal is not to escape every difficult

chapter. Maybe the goal is to remain faithful

until the author turns the page. And when I thought

about that, my mind immediately went back to

David. Because if Joseph teaches us how to trust

the promise, David teaches us how to worship

while you're still waiting for it. And perhaps

that's where we'll begin next time. Because David,

Daniel, and Paul all discovered something that

Joseph had not yet fully revealed. They discovered

that faith doesn't simply keep believing. Faith

begins to sing. Faith begins to worship. Faith

begins to write. David sang in the cave. Daniel

prayed in exile. Paul wrote from prison. None

of them knew that what they were doing in those

dark moments would one day strengthen generations

they would never meet. Think about that for a

moment. David thought he was writing songs to

God. God was preparing the worship of his people

for thousands of years. Daniel thought he was

simply remaining faithful in a foreign land.

God was revealing his kingdom to generations

yet unborn. Paul thought he was encouraging a

few churches from a prison cell. God was building

the theological foundation of his church. None

of them realized that while they were simply

trying to remain faithful, God was creating a

legacy. And maybe, That's one of the greatest

lessons of faith. Faith is not only believing

that God will fulfill his promise. Faith is continuing

to worship, to pray, to write, to obey, even

when you have no idea how far your obedience

will reach. Perhaps the greatest works God accomplishes

through our lives are the ones we will never

fully understand while we are living them. And

that is exactly where our next conversation begins.

Because if faith continues walking, even without

explanations, what happens when God turns your

cave, your exile, or your prison into a testimony

that will outlive you? I cannot wait to explore

that with you. Until next time, keep trusting,

keep dwelling, keep obeying. Because the author

is still writing.