Bakit ako nalulungkot, bakit ako nagdaramdam? Sa Diyos ako’y may tiwala, siyang aking aasahan; magpupuri akong muli, pupurihing walang humpay, ang aking Tagapagligtas, ang Diyos na walang hanggan.

Awit 42:11

Have you ever described yourself as a “practicing Christian”? What does this mean to you — that accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord means you are saved? Maybe it means that you make it a point to go to church every Sunday, donate your time to a ministry, and tithe from your income.

“Practicing Christian” can also mean that you choose to believe and trust in the Lord everyday — despite fears … despite prayers that remain unanswered … despite problems appearing one after another. It is not always easy to remain in faith, hindi ba? There are times when our difficulties threaten to crush us, and we are tempted to just give up. Sa ganitong mga panahon, we should make a conscious effort to hold on to our faith. Think of it as a habit that you have to develop. At first, it will take a great deal of effort. But with practice, it will get easier until leaning on God becomes second nature to us.

Tingnan natin ang Psalm 42. In verse 9, the psalmist cries out because he feels that God had abandoned him to be destroyed by his enemy. But before the psalm ends, we see that the psalmist chooses to practice his faith. Despite what he is going through, he decides that despite his situation, he will trust the Lord. Pinaalala niya sa sarili that there is no reason for him to worry. He chose to believe in God’s nature. He chose to believe that our Lord is faithful and good at hindi siya pababayaan.

Isn’t it time we practice our faith in this way?