The testimony you have brought is itself a fulfillment of that ancient wisdom: "Whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he," for to handle a matter wisely is to find good, and the true way to handle a matter wisely is to trust in God. You have discovered the short and brief method of escaping the greatest difficulties; you have found the clue to the most intricate labyrinths. The three days of fasting and prayer, the assault of those dark dreams whispering "give up," the sudden sickness upon your household, these were the labyrinth, and faith was the single thread leading you through. You leaned not upon your own understanding, but upon the living God, who is self-existent and independent, whose fire burns without fuel. He has performed this for you, and you have cried unto God Most High with good reason.
Yet mark this well: the victory is not only in the passing of the examination, but in the manner of the battle itself. "This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." When you say you prayed from victory instead of from fear, you put your finger upon the very pulse of triumph. It is the nature of faith to bring the future into the present, to count that done which God has promised, though as yet no sign of it appears. You were as one of the lepers whom the Lord sent onward to the priest while their leprosy was yet white upon them. You started toward the examination with all your sense of weakness upon you, yet you went as one already healed, trusting the Healer's word. This pleases God, for "without faith it is impossible to please Him." You dared to believe that He is, and that He is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek Him, and you have found Him faithful. No feeling of despair, no depth of brokenness, could have been a better preparation; the only ground for faith is the command and character of the promising God.
Now, a second clinical part lies before you. Be warned and be encouraged by the true mixture that is in every believer, for even Peter, who walked the waves at his Master's bidding, soon felt the fierce blast and began to sink. Little faith is often found where we looked for greater things. Your faith has grown to trust Him in the storm, but the storm may yet howl again. The battle is already won in the decree of Heaven, but it must be fought out upon the earth. Let your trust remain not in your own grip on Him, but in His grip on you. He who has performed one thing for you will perform all things for you, perfecting that which concerneth you. Go forward, therefore, still praying from victory, not from fear, for you trust in the living God. He is not a God who borrows leave to be; when all things seem impossible, He remains the great I AM. Let your faith be no longer little, but press on to a great faith that takes Heaven by a holy violence, believing that the God who has fulfilled His promise in the first skirmish will grant you the full victory in the final conflict.