Between You And God #13

Dear God, Everyone talks about how I’m supposed to have faith, which is fine, except that I don’t really understand what faith actually is.

God tells us that three things will last forever: faith, hope, and love (1 Corinthians 13:13). These three are bound closely together—like strands in a tight braid that overlap each other over and over again and work together to make a strong, permanent rope. Since they’re so important, it’s good to understand exactly what each really is.

We put faith in things every day. When you go to the doctor, she might prescribe a medicine for you. You take it without really wondering if it’s poison, don’t you? You drink water from your faucet trusting that it’s pure. You get on a plane having faith that the pilot knows how to fly and the mechanics have taken care of the engine. You trust your teacher to mark down your correct grade in the grade book. Faith is trusting that people will actually do what they say they are going to do and that they have the ability to do it. We place our faith in people who have proved themselves to us and to others.

Imagine a long wooden bridge spanning a deep river. To get from one side to the other, you have to actually walk across the bridge, starting with one step. Someone can tell you that the bridge is safe, but until you take that first step, and then the next one, you won’t know that the bridge is steady and secure. Faith is taking those steps.

The longer you know God, and the more you trust him with things you don’t understand, the stronger your faith will grow. He does what is right, and he is able—meaning he can do everything he says he will do.

Put your foot out and take that step. Trust him!

How about You?

How have you seen God’s goodness toward you? How have you seen God’s power in your life? What are you concerned about that you need to trust God to take care of for you?

God Says . . .

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. Hebrews 11:1