Some things are simply too amazing to ignore.

I am currently reading through the Book of Acts during my devotional time. This morning, my focus was on chapter 12, including the story of the Peter’s imprisonment by King Herod. Beginning at verse 6, the story reads, “The night before Herod was going to bring Peter’s case forward, Peter was asleep between two soldiers and bound with two chains, with soldiers guarding the prison entrance. Suddenly an angel from the Lord appeared and a light shown in the prison cell. After nudging Peter on his side to awaken him, the Angel raised him up and said, ‘Quick! Get up!’ The chains fell off his wrists.”

There are a number of amazing things in this story: the commitment of Peter to his faith, the level of persecution that commitment incurred, even the dramatic, angelic rescue. What strikes me as achieving first place on the Amazing List is, that on the night before his hearing and facing the possibility of death, Peter, in prison and surrounded by guards, is asleep. In fact, he is sleeping so soundly that the angel must nudge him on his side to wake him.

I am fairly certain, if I was in a similar circumstance, sleep would have eluded me, and the angel would find me calling out to God for help. Yet, Peter, is resting soundly, even in the face of great peril. To me, this is a tremendous testament to his faith, and trust in God. The man who once found himself sinking because he could not believe in the midst of a storm, was now now resting peacefully, in the arms of the one who drew him out of the waves.

Certainly, this story encourages me to aspire to a deep trust in God, but it also reminds me that every time I am rescued from the storm, in spite of my weak faith, that very faith becomes stronger and I can walk a little further from the boat the next time.

Too often, I admire people of great faith the way some people admire those who are physically fit. I would love be like that, but I avoid putting in the work to get there. However, just like physical fitness, if I am willing to commit to the effort and make good choices, I can build my faith like my fitness.

These are just a few of the steps I take to strengthen my faith so I can be stronger in the storm:

1. Make a regular, daily commitment to spend time with God. Include time to study the Bible, offer prayers, and listen for the direction of God.

2. Make godly choices. Every day is full of decisions. Make every effort to choose what reflects the heart of God.

3. Follow the gentle nudging of the Holy Spirit. If I feel a draw to do something, or not to do something, I make an effort to follow those leadings, as long as they are in line with God. Even if they are not from God, I am training myself to respond to the call of God, and learning to discern his voice at the same time.

4. Let difficulties lead to Jesus. It is easy to run from our problems, but running into the arms of God, will always be the better choice.

5. Stay connected to the community of faith. Through support, as well as, stories of God’s faithfulness, the faith community is a great asset in building personal faith.

There are many other steps to take but, step by step, God will build deep faith in us if we partner in that effort. In time, we too, will be able to experience peaceful sleep in the face of our greatest challenges, and in all things, we will learn to trust in the One who loves and leads us.

What things help to build and strengthen your faith?