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I had the opportunity to see an advance screening of this film, and can I just say that I haven’t been this excited about a faith-based movie in a long time?!

I Still Believe is the biopic of Christian artist Jeremy Camp, and is inspired by his hit song of the same title. The film depicts the beautiful love story of Jeremy falling in love with his first wife, Melissa, amidst her cancer diagnosis and the growth of Jeremy’s music career. It also sheds light on the testimony of God’s redemption that followed Melissa’s passing– both in Jeremy’s life and countless others impacted by their story.

Here’s how the message of the movie applies to our walks with Jesus.

Just because you’re a Christian doesn’t mean you won’t go through hard things.

Some people mistakenly think that following Jesus means everything in your life is going to be perfect and easy all the time. Jesus does work for good in our lives. He doesn’t cause the pain and suffering we experience, but He also taught us that part of life in this world is that we will experience trials and sorrows.

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in Me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

There are a few scenes in the film where Jeremy calls on his fans at concerts and listeners through radio stations to pray that God would heal Melissa. As people rally to pray, Melissa goes in for surgery and the doctors report that the cancer is gone. They can’t explain it. Melissa and Jeremy experience a miracle of God.

There’s another scene where Melissa falls ill again and they learn the cancer has returned. This time, even though they pray, Melissa passes away and goes to be with Lord. This is where so many people, both Christian and not, tend to struggle. If God really is good, then why did this happen? If God really answers prayers, why does it seem like my requests are falling on deaf ears?

The fact is we experience some of the benefits and power of God’s Kingdom manifested during life on this earth now, but the reality of His Kingdom won’t be realized in fullness until Jesus comes back to restore all things. So how do we live in the tension?

We pray with both vulnerability and boldness. We rejoice when rejoicing is called for and weep when weeping is called for. (Romans 12:15) We praise God for answered prayers. And when God doesn’t allow things to work out in the way we initially hoped, we still believe.

Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life..” (John 6:66-69)

I think we all know what it’s like to be tempted to walk away from Jesus when things get hard, but I love the language the disciple Peter’s words give us in the above Bible passage. “Jesus, I don’t understand everything and this is hard, but I know enough about You to know that You alone are God. Where else would I go?”

And by the grace of God you stay in the fight of faith and walk through the hard thing, with Jesus present and involved every step of the way. (Hebrews 2:14-18 // Hebrews 4:14-16) In the film, Melissa’s character says it this way: “Suffering doesn’t destroy faith; it refines it. And God is worth trusting even when we can’t see.”

God redeems the hard experiences of our lives.

 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them. (Romans 8:28)

In a heart-wrenching scene, as Melissa and Jeremy are wrestling to come to terms with her initial cancer diagnosis, Melissa tells Jeremy that if even one person’s life is changed because of what she goes through, then it’s all worth it.

I think Melissa had a revelation that we all need to be reminded of frequently. What makes the God of Christianity so amazing is not only His ability to prevent hard things from happening in the world or in our lives, but also His ability to work good out of hard things when they do happen. God works out the trials we face in such a way that He brings about good in us, fulfills His purposes in our lives, and reveals His glory to us and to others.

“I Still Believe,” like many other songs born from Jeremy’s experiences, has gone on to encourage millions of people. Jeremy’s now wife Adrienne–whom we meet briefly at the end of the film–was impacted in her walk with God by Jeremy and Melissa’s story and they have a beautiful life, family and ministry together now.

God will impact even more people because this story is being shared through song, film, book and so many other ways. God brings beauty out of brokenness.

When God redeems your trials, know that it’s not only for you, it’s for others too. (2 Corinthians 1:3-7) For all the hard things you’ve walked through, just like the good things, God has deposited something in you that He can bring out of you to help others in their need and draw them closer to Him.

As you watch I Still Believe, I pray you’re reminded that you don’t have to be fake about your pain, you don’t have to rush your healing process, and that God is in the business of making your broken beautiful.

I Still Believe is available now on DVD and on demand at YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play and other services.

Let’s Talk: Have you seen I Still Believe? What was your favorite scene and what did you find most impactful about the film? Discuss this blog post in the comments below.

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