Sunday Message · Fountain of Grace International · Pretoria North
When You Can't Believe Things Will Get Better Again
You have seen things go wrong before. So when someone tells you it will get better, you cannot believe them. This message is for the person whose hope died with the last disappointment and who now finds it hard to trust again.
Pastor Ricardo Zaal · Fountain of Grace International, Pretoria North · 26 April 2026
Somebody tells you something better is coming. You nod. But inside, you do not believe a word of it. You have been here before. You buried a parent. You lost the job. The marriage collapsed. The diagnosis came back bad. You watched it happen with your own eyes, and now your brain has been rewritten by what you saw. Pain does not cancel reality. The hurt was real. But the same eyes that saw the loss now struggle to see anything else, even when help is standing right next to you.
On the road to Emmaus, two men walked next to Jesus Himself and could not recognise Him. Mary stood in front of the risen Lord and thought He was the gardener. Grief blinds. Disappointment blinds. This message looks at why your faith feels broken after pain, and what an honest believer does when belief is hard.
Why You Cannot Believe Good News Anymore
Luke 24:21
The disciples said it plainly: "But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel." Their hope died when Christ died. You know that feeling. You believed for the marriage. You believed for the healing. You believed for the breakthrough. Then it crashed. Now somebody walks up and says God will come through for you, and you cannot receive it. It is not that you are rebellious. Your experience over the years has rewritten what you think is possible. The pain of knowing makes good news sound like a lie.
Grief Can Blind You to the Answer Standing Right There
John 20:14-15
Mary turned around and saw Jesus standing there. She did not know it was Him. She thought He was the gardener and asked where they had laid the body. She was talking to the answer and could not see it. When you lose someone dear, when the money runs out, when colleagues at work connive against you, the pain pulls all your focus inward. Opportunities sit next to you. Promotions are already yours. Answered prayers are standing in front of you. But grief overrides the truth and you keep crying about what you already have.
The Scars Prove He Was Human Too
John 20:27
Jesus said to Thomas, "Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands." He did not show off power. He showed the wounds. The same hands that healed the sick carried the scars of real pain. On the cross He cried, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" That is not a powerful man pretending. That is a human being going through it. You are allowed to say this one is too much. Acknowledging you are human, that Jesus was human, takes the shame off the struggle.
Honest Faith Is Better Than Fake Faith
Mark 9:24
The father cried out, "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief." That is the honest prayer. Not pretending you have mountain-moving faith. Tell Him straight: I do not believe she will get healing again, please increase my faith. I do not trust this job because I lost the last one, please increase my faith. God is not afraid of your questions. He met Thomas in his doubt. He will meet you in yours. A mustard seed of honest faith beats a mountain of pretend faith every time.
"Pain does not cancel reality. But you do not have to stay in the grave. Take one step, not a big one."
- Pastor Ricardo Zaal
Three Things to Do When You Cannot Believe Anymore
You do not need perfect faith to move forward. You need an honest one. Here is how to take the first step out of the dark.
- Admit you are human. Stop pretending the pain did not happen. Jesus did not erase His scars. He showed them. Say it out loud: this one hurt me, this one shook my faith. The moment you acknowledge you are a human being going through real things, the shame loosens its grip.
- Pray the honest prayer. Do not fake belief you do not have. Say what the father in Mark 9 said: Lord, I believe, help my unbelief. Tell God you doubt. Tell Him you struggle. Ask Him to increase the faith you have, even if it is the size of a mustard seed. God is not afraid of your questions.
- Take one small step. Do not try to fix everything today. If you want the business to grow, get one client. If you want the degree, do the first semester. Just do not stay in the grave of what happened. One step forward proves you are still alive and still believing, even a little.
If you are in Pretoria North and want to hear this kind of teaching live, come on a Sunday - Fountain of Grace International meets every week at 323 B Danie Theron Street.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can I not believe things will get better after what I have been through?
Because you saw it with your own eyes. Your brain has been rewritten by the trauma. The disciples watched Jesus die on a cross and their entire hope shut down. That is normal for human beings. Pain does not cancel the reality of what happened. The job loss was real. The death was real. The betrayal was real. You are not faithless for struggling to believe again. You are honest. The first step is admitting it, not pretending you are fine.
Does God understand when I am angry or doubting Him?
Yes. Jesus Himself cried out, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" on the cross. He went through the same pain you go through. He met Thomas in his doubt and let him touch the scars. God is not afraid of your questions. He would rather you bring honest doubt than fake faith. The prayer in Mark 9:24, "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief," is one of the most powerful prayers in Scripture because it is true.
Why does serving God sometimes feel harder than when I was living in sin?
That is the pain of knowing. When you did not know better, sin did not bother you. Now that you have come to the Lord, sin feels heavier and the road feels tougher. That does not mean you made a mistake. It means your eyes have been opened. The same way the disciples saw the scars on Jesus' hands and could not unsee them, you cannot unsee what you now know. The struggle is proof that growth has started.
How do I trust people again after being deeply disappointed?
You start by being honest that the disappointment was real. The two on the Emmaus road said, "We trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel." Their trust crashed. But they did not stay on that road forever. Their eyes were eventually opened. You may get hurt again. People are human. But staying in the grave of the past stops your whole life. Take one small step. Trust one small thing. Let honest faith grow back slowly.
Join Us This Sunday
Fountain of Grace International meets every Sunday at 09:00 at 323 B Danie Theron Street, Pretoria North. Come as you are.