Endure Faith

What happens to our faith when we pray, but nothing seems to change? We believe God hears us and has the power to change our circumstances. Yet there are times when we keep praying without seeing the answers we're hoping for.

In this episode of Endure Faith, we explore the uncertainty that can come with waiting for answers to prayer. Through the experiences of Jesus, Peter, and Paul, we reflect on suffering, difficult circumstances, and what it means to trust God when we don't fully understand what is happening.

We also consider how spending time in Scripture and getting to know Jesus more deeply can shape our understanding of faith. Sometimes our circumstances remain difficult, but that doesn't necessarily mean God is absent or that our prayers have gone unheard.

This is a conversation about being honest with God, continuing to pray with confidence, and holding on to faith even when the answers aren't immediately clear.

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When someone we love is struggling, our natural instinct is to try to make things better. But as life becomes more complicated, we eventually discover that some of the things affecting the people closest to us are beyond our ability to fix.

In this episode of Endure Faith, we reflect on the difference between being present in someone’s struggle and believing that the outcome depends on us. Accepting that we cannot fix something does not mean there is nothing we can do. Love and support still matter, and sometimes simply knowing that someone is there can make a real difference.

We also look at the invitation in 1 Peter 5:7 to cast our anxiety on God because He cares for us, and Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:28 to come to Him when we are weary and burdened. Letting go of control is not the same as letting go of someone.

Sometimes faith means recognizing the limits of what we can do, continuing to love and support the people who matter to us, and trusting God with what remains beyond our control.

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It is easy to be physically present while our thoughts are somewhere else. A run can pass almost on autopilot while the mind is already occupied with what comes next, and the same thing can happen in everyday life.

In this episode of Endure Faith, Bjørn-Ivar reflects on Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:34 about not worrying about tomorrow, and on the Israelites gathering only the manna they needed for each day.

Planning ahead has its place, but there is a difference between preparing for tomorrow and already living in it. Sometimes we are given enough light for the next step, rather than the whole road.

Drawing on a simple lesson from running, this episode is about staying with the part of the journey we are actually in, trusting God with today, and allowing tomorrow to come when it comes.

Bible references: Matthew 6:34, Psalm 118:24, Exodus 16

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There’s something I’ve always enjoyed about getting a few logs going, whether it’s a small coffee fire while hiking or lighting the fireplace at the cabin.

And after doing it enough times, you start noticing how a fire behaves. One proper piece of wood can be surprisingly difficult to keep burning on its own, but place another beside it and something changes. They begin sharing the heat.

That got me thinking about faith.

Our relationship with God is personal, but I’m not sure it was ever meant to be lived alone. Sometimes our faith feels warm and natural, while at other times disappointment, grief or simply being tired can make things feel different.

And just like wood, we don’t all catch in the same way either. Dry wood may burn quickly, while wet wood needs more time and more warmth around it.

In this episode of Endure Faith, I reflect on Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 and Hebrews 10:24–25, and on the simple idea that sometimes we don’t need someone to fix us or tell us to burn brighter. Sometimes we just need someone close enough that we don’t cool down on our own.

Maybe we were never meant to see how long we could keep our own little flame alive.

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Why do runners sometimes feel the need to explain a slower run before anyone has even asked?

“Easy run.” “Hilly.” “Tired legs.” “Windy today.”

In this episode, Bjørn-Ivar looks at some of the funny little habits many of us have on Strava, from adding explanations to our runs to taking an extra loop around the parking lot just to make the watch say 10K.

But behind the humour is something more familiar: the way we can start measuring ourselves against other people without really noticing it.

A run can feel perfectly good until we see that somebody else ran faster. And the same thing can happen far beyond running, with work, money, confidence, success and even faith.

Reflecting on 2 Corinthians 10:12 and Galatians 6:4, Bjørn-Ivar considers the difference between wanting to grow and needing somebody else to be the measuring stick.

Because pace can tell us something about a run.

It cannot tell us who we are. And God has never needed our Strava disclaimer.

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Some things in life we hope will eventually disappear. For Bjørn-Ivar, migraine has been one of those things since childhood. Over time, he has had to learn that life cannot always be put on hold while waiting for something difficult to go away.

In this episode, that experience leads into Daniel 3:13–28 and the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. They believe God is able to rescue them from the furnace, but their faith does not depend on Him doing so.

They are not spared from entering the fire. Instead, it is inside the furnace that a fourth person appears and walks with them.

A reflection on the difficult space between praying for circumstances to change and trusting that God can still be present when they don’t.

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In this episode of Endure Faith, Bjørn-Ivar reflects on a summer trip through Europe with car and camper that started with sunshine, beautiful days, and peaceful stays at camping sites.

Everything was going smoothly until a strange engine sound appeared and the car lost power. After being towed to a workshop, spending the night in the camper outside the garage, and receiving kind help from the employees, the journey continued. But only a few hours later, the same problem returned in the dark on a highway, and the trip had to change completely.

With Proverbs 16:9 as the biblical grounding, this episode reflects on the ups and downs of life, changed plans, waiting, and the quiet trust needed when the way forward looks different than expected. It is a personal reminder that God is present both when the road is smooth and when the journey stops.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of EndureFaith, Bjørn-Ivar reflects on a familiar run that felt different because of the summer heat. The route was known, the distance was manageable, and the pace started calmly, but around thirty degrees, strong sun, and no wind changed the cost of the run.

What first felt controlled slowly became heavier, and by the end it became clear that the heat had taken more from the body than expected. That simple experience becomes a reflection on life, because sometimes the road may look familiar, but the conditions around us have changed.

With Psalm 121:5 and Matthew 11:28 as the biblical grounding, this episode reflects on wisdom, tiredness, rest, and the gentle invitation of Jesus to come before we are completely empty. It is a reminder that needing water is not weakness, slowing down is not failure, and God can meet us as shade in the middle of the heat.

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In this episode of EndureFaith, Bjørn-Ivar reflects on the Norwegian Viking Row at the World Cup, a loud and joyful chant that has caught attention far beyond football itself.

The image of thousands of people moving in the same rhythm becomes a simple and meaningful picture of life and faith. A boat moves differently when people row together, and life can feel different too when we stop trying to carry everything alone.

With Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 as the biblical grounding, this episode reflects on community, shared faith, and the quiet gift of having people beside us when life feels heavy. It is a calm and honest reminder that needing others is not weakness, and that faith was never meant to be lived completely alone.

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