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
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
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
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
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.