Believing before you have to

In a book review of Peter Golding's Why Does Being a Christian Have to be so Hard?, Mark Loughridge quotes from NT scholar Don Carson on why it's important to have a Christian worldview in place before trials come along. Carson has said his reason for writing How Long, Oh Lord was to create a spiritual prophylactic to help in those times, sooner or later, when we do "get kicked in the teeth."

When we suffer greatly--from death and loss, danger, severe illness, whatever--scriptural truths are probably not going to help much unless we have learned to take comfort in them before trauma arrives.

That's the value of biblical preaching in the church. Slowly, through repetition and reinforcement, we help our brothers and sisters build a truly Christian outlook. That outlook brings with it confidence, strength, joy, and love.