Part 1: The Back-Story
I was sitting in my black Chevy Cobalt in front of a red-light, waiting for it to pass to green. The snow was just starting to form on the outside of my window, and I felt the evening darkness start to creep in as my thoughts seemed to come in crashing waves. Simply put, it had been one of those days where you just can’t wait for it to be over.
My life recently has been changing a lot; and although change is something I advocate for and can appreciate—when it happens to me, it often feels like my world is slipping from underneath my feet. I feel like I’m running a marathon while simultaneously standing still.
As I sat there in my car waiting for the lights to flicker, I found myself wrestling with deep frustration and confusion over the events I still hadn’t gotten clarity on, and so naturally I asked the Lord, “What are you trying to teach me in this season? What is the point of this feeling?” and without hesitation, I heard Jesus respond to me as if he was sitting in the passenger seat “Faith—do you trust me?”
It’s rare that I hear God’s voice that clearly. It felt like honey in my ear and yet I couldn’t help but be annoyed with the response. “What does that mean?” I replied.
I then realized that I was expecting a response from Him when I hadn’t even answered HIS question. And so I hung my head and said, “Okay. Yes, I trust you.” And I felt a strange peace rest down in my soul though my flesh wanted to fight the words the Lord had whispered over me.
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Part 2: Lessons I am Learning
So, let’s talk about Faith—what is it? What does it mean to Trust in Him?
The dictionary defines Faith as “complete trust and confidence in someone or something.” Biblically, Faith means “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1
Similarly, the dictionary defines Trust as a “firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.” In the Bible, Trust is “a bold, confident, sure security or action based on that security.”
When you look at the two definitions, one thing that Faith and Trust both inherently point back to is Hope. In other words, faith and trust are reactors to a shared hope. As believers, our source of hope is God. Who is God? Eternal. Everlasting. Alpha and Omega (& So. Much. More.). My point here is that Hope cannot simply ‘run out’ because we serve a God who never does.
Michael Todd, Pastor of Transformation Church, once said in a CRAZY FAITH sermon that “Hope is the gas pedal for Faith.” So, what does the enemy try to do? He tries to get us to believe that having hope (which is sourced from our eternal God), is pointless. The last thing Satan wants us to experience is hope because it is one of the main drivers of our Faith. He tries to get us to believe that because we suffer and experience pain, that God must have left us.
This, of course, is a lie straight from the pit of hell. And we gotta start shining light on the schemes of the enemy because when a believer starts walking around with God-Fearing, Faith—well, all of hell trembles. The only thing more powerful than a Son or Daughter secure in their identity of The Most High, is God himself, and He dwells in us through the Holy Spirit.
Also, God never told us this life would be easy. In fact, John 16:33 says, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
Though God is not one of confusion, He also never promises us clarity. He wants us to depend on Him. He wants us to trust Him daily. He wants us to rest in the promise that He is our provider, especially when we can’t see what’s next. If we knew everything then we would be God, which kinda defeats the purpose amiright?
So, I guess what I am trying to say is that when you are walking through something that requires a lot of faith because you’re stepping into the unknown or it feels scary, stop using things that you don’t understand to keep you frozen in a place you’re no longer meant to be.
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Part 3: Last, But Not Least
Whenever I think about Faith and Trust, I am always reminded of the story in Matthew 14: 22-33 where Jesus calls Peter out on the Waves. Initially, the disciples thought Jesus was a ghost and they were terrified. In that moment, they didn’t recognize Him at all.
And though Jesus told them “Take Courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Peter responded with a conditional statement. “If it is you, then…”, which implies doubt. And though Peter was speaking from a place of doubt and fear, the HOPE that it was Jesus is what drove him to have enough FAITH to actually walk on the water. But the second that Peter took his eyes off of Jesus, he started to sink.
So, if you feel like you are sinking, well I’d have to ask you—what are your eyes fixed on?
And if your faith is lacking, where is your hope coming from?
Because if either of those two answers are anything other than Jesus, then this an opportunity to kick the enemy right where it hurts and look up to our loving Father who never leaves nor forsakes you. To our Father who reaches out His hand the minute we say “Lord, save me!”, just like Peter.
Faith doesn’t mean that you don’t experience pain or suffering, or that you will never experience doubt or fear, Faith is seeing the storm and running towards Jesus anyway—knowing that He will take care of you because He loves you. The safest place we can ever be is in His arms.
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Lastly, I want you to know that I am learning and growing in this with you. I don’t claim to know everything there is to know about faith, truth or hope—and would ask you to please take anything you read today back to scripture and talk with God about it for yourself. Because although I have been learning a lot, I know that I am about to embark on a journey that I feel completely unequipped to walk through. A journey that I know will challenge and stretch me. In a lot of ways, I am excited, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little scared, too. But, man, if the Lord is telling me that He is trying to teach me Faith in this season, then I am going to walk into the storm with my head held high because I know that I walk with a God so much bigger than anything already at His feet.
