This past week I wrestled with what it means to have faith. I have seen examples as of late of people stepping out in faith and doing things that many people would consider foolish or impractical. When questioned as to why they were doing this, they replied that they were trusting God for a desired result and they believed that He would come through.
Among Christians, we often marvel at the type of faith that has at its root a deep trust in God. When we see someone step out in faith we often say, “I wish I had faith like that.” Yet, we also are inclined to support very practical approaches to problems where the solutions are rooted in careful planning and measured steps that leave very little gaps between what we hope for and what is to be achieved. With regards to the latter, we are glad to cover such plans in prayer, but it would seem that in terms of probabilities, the outcome that we desire is relatively certain.
So the question I struggled with is what is the correct approach? Shall we step out in faith in some circumstances in ways that seem impractical, trusting that God will help us? Or should we plan away, covering all aspects of what is needed, while asking God to bring the desired result?
The answer is, of course, not a simple one. There is no question that God wants us to step out in faith. There is also no question that He wants us to plan and reason through much of what life brings. The interesting thing is that sometimes our planning and reasoning can only bring us so far and we are convinced that God is calling us to put our trust in Him – even when we don’t have all the answers (or even worse, very little of them). I don’t think that as believers we end up in such situations by accident. I am convinced that God routinely allows us to face either the unknown or what we clearly can’t manage on our own with the hope that we will seek Him and again discover that He is a God who is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine.
The problem I have is that, sometimes, when I see someone stepping out in faith, I immediately start analyzing the practical aspects of the situation, and in so doing, I exclude the possibility that God has allowed those circumstances to come into that person’s life so that their faith may be kindled or built upon. In other words, when I look at their circumstances and what they are proposing to do, I may not have the “eyes of faith” to see that the situation that person faces is God ordained, and a response of faith is indeed what is being called for. For myself I must guard against judging others’ plans as “impractical” when the most practical and important thing they could be doing is stepping out in faith.
In Hebrews 11:1 we read:
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see”.
In one of the commentaries I use, an author offered words which I believe helps to explain this verse. They wrote, “There are realities for which we have no material evidence though they are no less real for that. Faith enables us to know that they exist and, while we have no certainty apart from faith, faith does give us genuine certainty.” For believers, this accounts for how we would say we “know” Jesus exists. Although we have not seen Him, we love Him and believe in Him and know He is there because in our faith this has been confirmed.
Sometimes when I hear people who seem to possess great faith speak they seem to do so with such certainty that God will bring about a particular result. Some might listen to them and call it presumptuous and perhaps in some instances it is. Yet, we all must leave room for the fact that in the exercising of their faith they are concluding that God will bring something about and perhaps He will, and we must be careful to conclude what is and isn’t good in God’s sight.
I am learning to go slower and to look at my life and the lives of others more and more through eyes of faith, understanding that there is much that God can and will do that I am not aware of.
I am hoping by writing this you will continue with me on my journey of faith, praying earnestly that God will bring circumstances into all of our lives in which there are gaps that can’t be accounted for by our reasoning and planning and in which God is asking, “Will you trust in me and step out in faith?”
For Him,
Rob