The Stages of Faith
"Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’ Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead – since he was about a hundred years old – and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised."1
We know we must trust the Lord, but sometimes that can seem overwhelming, can't it? God doesn't expect us to have great faith instantly. In fact, throughout the gospels, Jesus met people where they were: from Thomas, for whom faith depended on seeing the nail marks in Jesus' hands, to the centurion, who believed that his servant could be healed with a word from Christ (John 20:24-27, Matthew 8:5:13). And then there's Peter, who trusted the Lord enough to get out of the boat, but found the wind and waves too strong to continue (Matthew 14:28-31). On each occasion the Lord showed only grace and understanding.
Although it is not a linear progression, there are basic stages of faith. First, there's the little faith, which says, "I know He can, but I'm not sure He will." As God proves himself trustworthy, our faith grows. We begin to focus more on Him than on our circumstances. Finally, we must graduate to perfect faith, which says, "I believe what God says, so I'm going to act!"
Do you want to grow your faith? Spend time with God. Ask Him to help you trust more. When Peter was afraid of the waves, the Lord Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him, and He will do the same for you.
Suggested Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank You that through Your Word You show me examples of people who had extraordinary faith, but You also show me people who doubted and yet You did not give up on them. On the contrary, you showed grace and understanding towards them. Help me every day to grow more in my faith. In Jesus' name, Amen.
1. Romans 4:18-21 (NIV).
Today's Encounter was written by: Rosina N.
All articles on this website are written by
Richard (Dick) Innes unless otherwise stated.