Faith – Living in Expectation

I was very nervous as I drove across the Mackinac Bridge. I was driving the most massive moving truck I could rent, loaded with all my family’s possessions. It was only my third time on this five-mile-long bridge, which links Michigan’s upper and lower peninsulas. All kinds of worries popped into my mind. What if the maintenance done on the bridge was not adequate? What if high winds suddenly arise? Crossing the bridge required that I exercise faith in the work of people I did not know and likely would never meet.

I seldom think about the fact that I exercise faith multiple times every day. When I get up in the morning, I exercise faith that the floor will hold me when I step on it. When I need to drive my truck, I believe that it will start, despite its 324,000 miles. We believe that each breath will come as needed and will not be poisonous gas. Faith is common in everyday life, but it seems that there is a disconnect when we try to relate faith to our spiritual lives. Suddenly believing becomes much more challenging. Perhaps it is because we have difficulty trusting things we cannot see.

Faith is a critical commodity for those who want to live in God’s shadow. It is only logical that we must believe that God exists before we can follow Him or ask Him for blessings. (See Hebrews 11:6) I do not ask Santa Claus for gifts because I do not believe that he exists. (The after Christmas bills assured me that Santa Claus did not freely give the gifts.)

Usually, exercising one’s faith is viewed as positive. I have noticed that anytime someone anticipates a poor outcome from their actions or beliefs, it is called doubt.

Faith always expects a great outcome. The anticipation of failure is not a part of faith. This confidence comes not from the fact we believe; instead, it is because our belief is in God. We believe that God is good and does good things. Therefore we can have faith in the words of Jesus Christ when He spoke of God, “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” Matthew 7:11 (NIV) We do not quit using common sense. Faith is not a presumptive action where we do whatever we want without fear of natural consequence. Instead, it is obedience to God even when we are unsure of the results, but we are confident that God loves and cares for us.

Living a life of faith does not guarantee a life continually overflowing with confidence and blessings. If you read the book of Job, in the Bible, you will see that Job lost his children, his possessions, and even his wife encouraged him to curse God and die. (Job 2:9) Yet we read that Job’s faith in God remained. Job seemed unsure if he would survive his physical ailments, but his faith in God does not appear to waver. Job said, “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face.” Job 13:15 (NIV) What an example of unwavering faith!

A real life of faith is a life of constant expectation. We may not understand the current circumstances, but we know that God is still in control and has our best interests in mind. Nevertheless, we will doubt occasionally or try to accomplish God’s plan using our methods instead of waiting on Him. Think of Abraham and his wife as they waited for God to fulfill the promise of a son. When Abraham and Sarah had a lapse in their faith, they ended up with a son from a servant girl instead of the promised child. (Genesis 15-16) About fourteen years after the promise, the promised child did come, but Abraham and Sarah had a constant reminder of their lack of faith each time they saw Ishmael, the servant girl’s son. (Genesis 21)

When we have difficulty exercising faith, it is because we are trying to rely on ourselves. The exercise of faith causes us to look to God to answer the situation and move into His shadow. Faith is like a muscle; it is the exercise of it that causes it to grow. When we rely only on our strength, our faith begins to atrophy.

If you find that your faith is weaker than it should be, move closer to God. Recognizing weak faith is not a problem; however, being content with weak faith is a problem. Jesus consistently challenged His disciples to grow in faith. On at least four occasions, Jesus directly challenged the disciples’ lack of faith. (Matthew 6:30, 8:26, 14:31, 16:8) I do not believe that Jesus was trying to humiliate or discourage the disciples. These times seem to attempt to get the disciples to step up and develop a stronger faith.

The things that cause us to spend the most time in prayer, asking God to intervene, are opportunities for more robust faith growth. When we recognize that God has the answer, and we must rely on Him to work on our behalf, faith grows.

Faith is necessary, but it is not always easy. Living in God’s shadow requires that we have faith in Him and His plan for our life. Because God loves, He wants us to live close to Him, but it requires faith. In the words of William Carey, “Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God.”