I suppose you might call it faith if you believe in the sun, even on a cloudy day. We probably all have that kind of faith. There are places where it might cloud over for weeks at a time. It’s easy to get discouraged by the grey sky. Yet, even in cloudy weather, we know the sun is still up there. It’s still providing heat and light. It’s still making life possible.
What happens if our life should cloud over with troubles? What if we have to live for a while under the cover of dark disappointments? At times like that, we might ask why such things could happen to us. We might question whether or not God is really there, whether or not He cares, whether or not He’s able to help.
We can’t see Him directly. But God is certainly there. He is doing His work, protecting and providing for us. He causes the sun to shine, and the earth to produce. He provides for our physical needs, making our life possible.
But even more than that, the Son of God shines in His Holy Word. This is God’s answer to our spiritual need. God hasn’t left us in darkness, to try to figure out the answers to life all by ourselves. He hasn’t left us to the wolves that prey upon our fears and needs. God has given us everything we need in Jesus, His Son.
We were sinful. Jesus came from heaven to be our holiness. We were dying. Jesus came from heaven to be our life. We were lost. Jesus came from heaven and found us. He was punished in our place on the cross, and all our sins are forgiven in Him.
So, where we desperately try to understand, where we desperately try to get life right and find comfort against fear and guilt for the wrong we’ve done, God breaks in, shows us His Son, and says, “The righteous shall live by faith,” faith in Him! That means forgiveness for sins. That means the exchange of our fate in hell, for eternal joys in heaven. That means help for cloudy days, fears and doubts. God has given us His Holy Word, that we might obtain this faith: assurance that we have a gracious God in Christ.