“To trust God in the light is nothing, but to trust Him in the dark – THAT IS FAITH”
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C.H. Spurgeon.
Having faith in God is an essential part of every Christian life. It embodies everything that we stand for and look to. When we pray, we receive by faith. When we go through uncertain paths and circumstances, we are directed and come through by faith. We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8) and without it, it’s impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Our very own faith in God can move mountains (Matthew 17:20).
But what does faith in itself mean? Do we merely believe in the fact that God exists or do we trust that because He exists, we can do all things?
Before I gave my life to Christ, I remember going through stages where I would say that I believed in God. I was confident in my thoughts of what Jesus did on the cross. I read the Bible and understood that He came so that we may have life and through Him, we are no longer slaves but now friends of God. However as I continued living my life, I would fall short when faced with obstacles. I would focus on what I could see with my eyes and not on what I learnt from the Word. I would carry on in this cycle of showing little faith in God, being blinded by what was in front of me – life. My mere belief in God didn’t guarantee my faith in Him.
“For we are to walk by Faith and not by sight” – 2 Corinthians 5:7
When we focus on what is right in front of us and not on God, we end up putting our circumstances above God. We put our worries and the mountains that we face above our faith in God. In Matthew 17vs14-20, we encounter Jesus healing a boy with a demon. His disciples were first requested to heal the boy but to no prevail. The boy was then brought to Jesus and He rebuked the demon out of him and he was healed instantly (vs18). Later on, His disciples went privately to Jesus to ask why they couldn’t perform the miracle, but Jesus rebuked them due to their little faith. The disciples failed at healing the boy as they saw the situation as a mountain in sight that could not be moved. Even though they believed in Jesus, they failed to trust in the spiritual power of Jesus that the boy could be healed by demonstrating their faith in their master’s power.
Is this speaking to you right now?
God wants us to have faith in Him. As it’s defined in the book of Hebrews 11:1, faith is the assurance of things hoped for, and the conviction of things not seen by our physical senses. When we put our faith in God, we ought to respond with our heart to God in trust, submission and dependence. We are to go before God empty; acknowledging our helplessness and relying on Him alone. True Faith values and cherishes God above everything else. Despite any ongoing doubts, faith is a settled decision to direct the heart towards God.
As you grow in your faith in God, here are two areas of focus the Bible gives that are helpful:
Focus on Jesus
As I continued in my walk in Christ, I grew to understand that the more I focused on Jesus, the more I really knew Him for who He is. He is close to those who are near (Psalm 145:18). When we commit our walk with Him, our faith increases because we grow to realise that He is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrew 12:2).
Therefore let’s be encouraged to fix our eyes on Jesus. Even when we can’t see the end of the tunnel, let’s be reminded to lay all our cares to Him. The more intimately we grow to know Jesus, the more our faith results in actions, and actions in miracles.
Focus on the Word
“If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” – John 8:31-32
The Bible is full of promises from God to help us stand in faith in our everyday lives. As the apostle Paul stated, “Faith comes from hearing, hearing through the Word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). When we continually focus on the Word, our faith is built up through the continued reminder of what God has done for us through faith. And when we are faced with mountainous obstacles, we can confidently stand firm with trust and dependence on His promises that God is more than capable to do the impossible.
Do you feel like you are walking in the dark right now? Or maybe you feel lost or alone at the moment? I want to encourage you to continue to have faith in God. Just as Jesus said to His disciples, “if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20). Hold on to this word today. Yes, we may not be able to see the end of the road; but hope in The Lord always and continue to wait patiently for Him and He will see you through.
Prayer
Increase our faith in you, Lord, and give us the ability to confidently trust in You and Your unfailing power. Help our hearts to grow in submission and dependence on You alone, cherishing You above every ongoing doubt, worries and fears in our lives. In Jesus mighty name. Amen.
