How often the Bible tells us not to be afraid - but we continue to fear. Speaking through Isaiah, God tells the people that they will be returning to Zion, and it will be such a joyous occasion that the lifeless desert will come to life and bloom with splendour. God keeps His promises, but not always on our timetable. And that is what concerns James - he writes of the necessity of patience and endurance. The difficulties and resistance that we all face are ultimately for our benefit. We grow, we change, we become holy. Even Jesus had to endure suffering. Difficulty is never a time to give up or doubt God, but to rejoice that God is with us through it all.

Even John the Baptist had occasional doubts. He had been in prison for quite a while and probably knew that he would never leave prison alive. He asked Jesus 'Are You the one?' Rather than giving a yes-no answer, he challenged John: 'What do you see? The dead are raised, lepers are healed, the blind see, the deaf hear, and the lame walk.' That can mean only one thing - the presence of God. The 'proof' of God's existence and presence is the way in which lives are changed. How has your life been changed? The lives of others around you? God is alive!