From Knowing God to Believing in God

For many years I have been involved in ministry, from teaching Sunday School, to working on the staff of a church, to now running a counseling ministry. I knew a lot about God. I knew the Bible said that He loves me and that He sent His son to die for my sins so I could have access to Him. I knew that the Bible says He will never leave me or forsake me. I knew all the verses on fear and anxiety. Cast them on Him because He cares for me and come to Him when I am burdened and He will give me rest. Fear not for I am with you. Perfect love casts out all fear. Even if I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I don’t need to fear. I knew them all; memorized them, quoted them and prayed about them. With all this knowledge why then did I worry about everything? Why did I get mad when I couldn’t control certain circumstances? Why did I have fears that were sometimes paralyzing? I would take my scriptures and I would pray my little heart out. Please God, take away my fear and help me, Lord, not to stress over tomorrow. Help me, Lord, not to wake up in the middle of the night in a panic because I wasn’t sure if I said the wrong thing to someone or maybe a made a mistake at work or better yet, what if I got fired? I have seen God’s hand in my life and how He stepped in and turned me around. I have seen how He was using the things the enemy meant for evil and now He was getting the glory. I saw how He saved my marriage and taught me how to love my daughter and how to love my husband even when I didn’t “feel” like it. Yep, what was I missing? I knew all the right scriptures, but I still lived in a life of negative thinking, fear and worry. It just didn’t make sense to me. I didn’t know what else I needed to do. 

I had also been in a process of learning why I was struggling. Growing up I didn’t know what it was like to be loved or to have someone in my life that thought the world of me or someone I could trust that would always be there when I needed them. I always felt alone and scared of life. So, when people would tell me to “Trust God”, I would intellectually tell myself that I need to trust God, but how? I would literally beg God to show me who He was. I wanted to really know (heart know) Him. 

One day, I had a strong feeling I should read the Old Testament with a purpose! I knew it must be God impressing this upon my heart as reading the Old Testament was a difficult task for me. I didn’t understand it and I didn’t really see its relevance in my life for today. But I felt as if I was supposed to start reading and write down every time I saw God active in the Israelites lives. I believe I may have started in Kings; I don’t really remember where I started but I was blown away by how often God was involved in everything they were doing. Sometimes, He would put thoughts in their minds, and sometimes, He would put thoughts in the minds of others about them. He would provide for them and be with them to fight battles that were impossible to fight to the human eye. He would protect them from enemies, and He would allow them the consequences for their disobedience. I just kept writing and writing to the point that I had to just start underlining because I was constantly writing!

Then I got it! I remember closing my Bible and I said, “ok Lord! In the Old Testament, the Israelites were Your children. You are God and You can choose whoever You want. But now You say that You have chosen me. I have been grafted in and You have made a way for me to be Your child. And if You are that active in the Israelites lives, then You want to be that active in mine.” It was that moment that I took what I knew in my head and decided to believe it. God is not earthly, He is God. He is perfect and His love for me is perfect. I didn’t have to ask God to help me not to worry because He told me not to worry. I didn’t have to ask God to be with me because He told me in His Word that He is with me, and He will never leave me or forsake me. I don’t have to ask God to take my burdens from me, I can just give them to Him and then I can expect He will give me rest because He said He would. I don’t have to ask God to help me not to have fear because He told me I don’t have to fear. That day my life forever changed. God is active in my life, every part of my life. He knows everything about me, and He sees every decision and path I choose. I trust Him to guide me in the way He wants to guide and lead me. I can now see God in all that I do. He is faithful even when I am not!

For years I imagined God as a person; a sinful human being who would only disappoint me, punish me and judge me. God is spirit (John 4:24). My favorite verse is Psalm 139:7-12:

Where can I go from your Spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?

If I go up to the heavens, you are there;

if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

if I settle on the far side of the sea,

even there your hand will guide me,

Your right hand will hold me fast.

If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me

and the light become night around me,”

even the darkness will not be dark to you;

the night will shine like the day,

for darkness is a light to you.

I write this to encourage you on your journey. If you struggle, as I did for many years, with knowing about God, in your head, but not believing him, in your heart, tell him! He already knows and He will lead you to a place where He will reveal to you who He is. (Luke 11:10)

A Red Sky

By Eileen Glotfelty • July 27, 2026
Having been raised in the “Steel City,” the only red skies I knew growing up were filled with the red dust of the steel mills. The first time I saw a real sunset was as an adult visiting the Jersey Shore. From that day on. I was hooked. Any chance I got to see a sunset, I was there. Recently, I returned from a trip to the Finger Lakes in upstate NY. It was our last day and we had plans to visit one of the lakes so my granddaughters could go swimming. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate and left us with a cloudy, windy day. We switched to Plan B which was also nice but we were still a little disappointed. Part of our plan involved some sight seeing and shopping at an Amish Market (and yes, we did buy some Whoopie pies). After that we went back to the farm where we were staying so the girls could visit the barn animals one more time. The day before we were talking to another guest and they raved about the beautiful sunsets they had seen there. I had hoped we would see one that last night, but as I said before, the weather didn't look promising. In order to get to the barn, we had to walk out to a gravel road beyond the trees and down the hill. As we stepped out onto the road, I was happy to see the sun peeking through the clouds. I watched the sun turn that sliver of sky into shades or orange and pink and I was thankful for the view. When we reached the bottom of the hill, my daughter and the girls went to the barn but I stood in the road admiring the sky before me one more time. I walked over to the barn briefly but I'm not a fan of goats and chickens roaming loose, so when they decided to come visit me, I decided it was time for me to leave. I took another route back to our room which involved walking through a grassy field. I was half the way up when something told me to turn around. What I saw made my mouth drop and I did an about face and almost ran back to the road (notice I said. ‘almost’ ran.”) In the short time I had walked through the field, the sky had changed dramatically and had opened up to show the glory of its Creator. There in front of me were brilliant hues of pink, orange, red and purple. They bounced off every cloud and filled the sky. In all my years of sunsets, I had never witnessed one like this. I stood taking pictures until it disappeared. As I walked back to my room, I asked God how that happened. I felt as if He did it for me just to see the delight on my face. The following Sunday, I went to my church and the Pastor used this quote in his sermon. “Red skies at night. A sailor's delight.” He said he had met a naval man traveling on the same airplane. They saw a beautiful sunset to which the man had mentioned the quote. When I came home, the quote and the sunset kept coming back to me so I did a little research. To sum it up, a red sky at night can signify that a storm has passed and is no longer a threat. That spoke to me. My life has been a series of storms. Lately, a big one has been raging at hurricane proportions. I have prayed, I have cried and have been full of fear for the outcome. That sunset gave me peace. God is a merciful God. He reminded me, once again, that He was with me in the storm and even if I'm not seeing the red skies of night, it doesn't change the fact they are coming. Lord, right now the storm is raging. I need You. Help me to keep my eyes on You. You are with me and You always have been. Guard my heart and help me keep my eyes on You. Thank you for the beautiful red sky that gave me hope again.

It's Not The End

By Eileen Glotfelty • May 23, 2026
Are you one of those people who like to read the end of the story before finishing the book? This morning I've been sitting here feeling overwhelmed by life. There are things that are out of my control and a lot of uncertainty. For someone who likes to have a plan, it's my worst nightmare. God's word says that He finishes what He starts and He will complete the good work in me (Philippians 1:6 NIV). I struggle with that when I can't see the finish line. God's word also says He's the Alpha and the Omega which means He is the beginning and the end (Rev 22:13 NIV). To me, that means that He sees it all. He knew where I would be on any given day. He knew my circumstances before I did, but unlike me, He's not worrying and overcome with anxiety because He sees the end. So, once again, I have a choice to make. I can sit here overwhelmed because I can't see the way out, or, I can trust the One who can. Will I choose hope or despair? This leads me to faith which is choosing to believe even though we can't see the outcome. I had to ask myself where I was putting my faith. Hope and faith work together. No amount of striving can earn them. Each one of us has access to them. All we have to do is ask the One who freely gives. Jesus, I know you've written my story and You know how it ends. Everything in this life is temporary. Even though I can't see the end, help me to rest in the fact that You do and I can trust You with my life.

The Lost Sheep

By Eileen Glotfelty • May 11, 2026
A few weeks ago I shared about my estranged child. Mother's Day came and went without a word. I spent the day wondering/hoping I would hear something. I didn't expect a phone call but maybe a text. I told myself not to have any expectations, but I still did. I was almost angry at myself for thinking maybe this year would be different. This morning I sat here talking to the Lord. He wants me to be honest with Him so I didn't try to hide the sorrow and the rejection. I told Him I was hurt and I had to forgive my child once again. He reminded me that I had three other children who hadn't forgotten me and made me feel loved and honored, so why was the rejection of one so painful? It was then I remembered the story of the lost sheep. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, it's about a shepherd who has a flock of a hundred sheep. One of them goes astray and the shepherd leaves the ninety-nine to go find it. It was a gentle reminder that He will never give up on my child and He loves Him more than I could imagine. In the same way, God will never give up on any of us. No matter how much we run or push Him away, He will never leave us. I needed that encouragement, maybe you do too.