To sense that you are about to faint is a frightening feeling. Your previously strong legs turn feeble and shaky. Fatigue replaces virility. Feeling "as strong as an ox" gives way to being "as weak as a wet noodle." What will replace this sense of infirmity? What will again bring clear-headedness to replace the dizziness caused by doubt?

We could wish that every day our lives would be filled with confidence. Unwavering faith is a blessing. Certain convictions keep a life from losing its balance. Paul's "We faint not" (KJV) or "We do not lose heart" (NIV) is based on a "therefore" (2 Corinthians 4:1, 16). We, too, can affirm in the midst of problems on every side that God has entrusted His people with a "ministry" and has poured out upon us His "mercy." Awareness of God's mercy revives our trust in Him. God's promises delete our doubts and fortify our faith.

Nothing great was ever done without much enduring.
-Catherine of Siena