Faith, belief, and trust are words that are closely related to one another and are actually synonyms in the Christian experience. We exercise these words daily in our life. For instance, every time you sit in a chair, you are physically demonstrating your belief that the chair can hold you. I have broken a few chairs in my life. I remember, on one occasion, a friend inviting me to take a seat in a flimsy antique chair. I refused. But, after her relentless offer, I succumbed. I sat, and the chair broke. That was a little embarrassing. I have to be honest; still today, I eye up whether I believe a chair can hold me before I sit. This is why I think faith is so difficult at times because we do not want to be let down or embarrassed. For me, it is always a question of trust.
As we look to the Lord, we will exercise faith if we believe God is able. If we have faith that God is able to hold us up, we will act in faith. If we lack this trust in Him, we will avoid him like a flimsy chair. The simple truth is that the life we practically live reveals our level of trust in God.
In Ruth 4:1-12, we discover an amazing example of what it looks like to live in belief that God is able. We find that Ruth, her mother-in-law Naomi, and a man by the name of Boaz trust in God because they believe He is able. They don’t blindly follow God but trust that although they can’t see the future, they know the future is in God’s hands. You see, faith is not blind in the sense of closing our eyes and just jumping off the cliff. No! Faith is taking what we do see and placing it in the hands of a God we don’t see, but believe He is able.
In a genuine sense it is the posture of faith that often times reveals when faith is truly being experienced. Faith is placing your trust in someone, and this is a humble posture. I know there is a God, and I also know that I am not Him. Therefore, I will humbly trust that God is capable of caring for all the details. I have found that God does a fantastic job of being God. He is so trustworthy.
What the account in Ruth teaches us, and I have experienced is that faith has the power to unlock opportunities. As I place my trust in God, the practical response is that I actively walk with Him. In this sense, faith is not passive, but active. What is impressive is that as we exercise faith, our faith grows. You cannot underestimate the posterity of faith. Faith tends to beget faith.
I remember teaching each of my children how to dive. They each embraced it at different degrees. But, all shared this in common – they would not try it until they had seen me do it successfully. This is true, with many faith ventures. People will follow, but first, they need to see examples of faith. I am thankful that God’s Word is filled with examples of faith. Seeing faith in action encourages us to exercise faith.
God is trustworthy. We can believe He is able. We can trust in Him. We can act in faith. Imagine what it would look like for each of us to place our faith, to trust, to believe God is able. We would discover God’s hand on all the ins and outs of life. We would embrace the process of faith, take the humble posture of faith, experience the power of faith, and lay the foundation for the posterity of faith. However, all of this begins with believing God is able.
I am honored to be on mission with each of you. Let’s encourage one another to act in faith, believing God can handle all the big and small issues of our lives. Let’s experience the power of faith working in and through our life. Let’s see how faith begets faith, not just in our own lives, but in the lives of others as they see our example and are encouraged to join along. Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)!