Faith is quite a mystery.  We exercise it every day, yet it seems complicated. It is easy and straightforward, but at the same time hard to get a handle on.  It’s essential to life, yet not often acknowledged.  And this confusing, but simple concept just happens to be the thing that God wants from us.

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6 NIV)

Let’s look at “faith” a bit.  What is faith?  The dictionary definition of faith is a good place to start.  According to Merriam-Webster, there are three meanings for the word faith.

allegiance to duty or a person : loyalty, fidelity to one’s promises: sincerity of intentions

belief and trust in and loyalty to God – belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion – firm belief in something for which there is no proof – complete trust

something that is believed especially with strong conviction; especially : a system of religious beliefs

Of all of these connotations of the word “faith,” I’m particularly interested in the second (red) one, especially, the idea of belief and trust in and loyalty to God, and firm belief in something for which there is no proof.

For some, faith does not come naturally.  Pessimism and cynicism can be pretty funny.  And popular, too, in many circles.  Murphy’s Law is at it again.  Believe the worst, and usually, you are not too far off the mark.

In a wierd sort of way, it takes faith to believe anything – bad or good.  Millions have faith in a myriad of gods and goddesses, some of which are bent on destruction and harm.  Yet, people place their faith in them.

Coming back to the Bible, for a minute, we are asked to place our faith in the “one true God.”  In the Old Testament, this is the God of the Hebrews who performed miraculous events to rescue His people from the bondage of slavery, most notably causing waters to part in the Red Sea.

In the New Testament, this is the God who had a Son, Jesus Christ, who was born miraculously – not in a human fashion – and died miraculously – because He came back to life.

And this is the God who “causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

But, how does believing this relate to faith as I walk, live, and get through life?  This seems like a pretty basic question for someone who is “saved” and a “believer.”  Yet, I am both of these things, and have a need to come back to the basics.  Life can deal some incredibly tough blows, things can work out against our plans and even our intrinsic nature, circumstances can crush our hopes and aspirations.

With minds that are wired to go in so many complicated directions – not to mention an alive, deceiving enemy of our souls – doubt and cynicism can easily rule the day.  Mistrust seems more realistic than trust, sometimes.

So reminding ourselves of the fundamentals is necessary to keep faith alive.

I believe, cognitively, that faith – belief and trust in and loyalty to God – belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion – firm belief in something for which there is no proof – complete trust – fundamentally changes the way we live in the cacaphony of days that makes up life.

Faith is the answer.  Instead of fear, believe in God.  Instead of worry, trust God. Instead of doubt, have faith.

If the “faith mechanism” worked properly, it would be easy to trust in God – the God of the Bible  – the God who said He is love, the God who said those who love Him would receive His tender mercies.

But the complexity of the simpleness of faith is…it’s not easy.  It is a discipline for some.  It takes a re-training of an ingrained sense of pessimism for others.  To counter the natural despondency we may feel when our plans go awry with now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1 ESV) requires a courageous mental shift.

In the midst of adversity, to believe in a God, largely unseen, who is working things out for good, can really require a type of trust many of us do not know or understand.

 

 

Jesus knew this.  He was patient with His disciples on earth when they panicked in the boat and didn’t have faith that their leader either had the power, or would actually wake up and still the fierce storm.  Jesus spoke about the littleness of the disciples’ faith often.  He didn’t have high expectations for them – “if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.” (Matt. 17:20 NASB)

It comforts me to know, that when I read that Jesus tells a distraught father with a possessed son that “all things are possible to him who believes” and the boy’s father cries out and says, “I do believe; help my unbelief, the point of the story is not that Jesus rebukes him.  Rather, Jesus takes his honesty about his small faith and does a miracle.

Small, simple faith as a child.  It’s not a big assignment, but it’s the biggest there is.  Just believe.  It will please God and move mountains. Can you do it?