Abraham is called the father of faith, yet when God promised to give him and his wife a son and it wasn’t happening, he slept with Sarah’s maid so it would. How can he be called a man of faith? It seems that he did not trust God, at least in that instance.
Is faith a robotic condition where the heart says, “Yes, God” to everything, without any struggle? Can a Christian say he believes, but fail to act like it?
Of course. This is the struggle between flesh and spirit. I’ve had times in my life where what I believe in my heart and what I was doing in my emotions didn’t match up. God promises that he will take care of my needs, including finances. I believe the verse that says, “God shall supply all your need according to His riches” (Philippians 4:19), yet I have been anxious when financial troubles came my way. If I believe God, why does that happen?
My devotional reading today says that professing to believe what God has said is much easier than really trusting Him. Other Christians might say our faith can be firm in our heads but has not reached our hearts. When I think I believe God, but act as if I don’t when the tests come, I wonder what kind of faith I have. Is it real? Or am I just telling myself that I believe?
Abraham eventually got to the heart of things. He realized that “helping God” didn’t work, and that is an important lesson. If I ask God for anything, I must wait for Him to provide the answer. Unless He asks me to do something, I need to keep my mitts out of it.
Abraham learned that and as a result, his faith became solidified. The Bible says, “He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore ‘it was accounted to him for righteousness’” (Romans 4:20-22).
God is faithful as Abraham believed. He saw the proof of it when Isaac was born.
Perhaps the key to this faith from the heart is in that little phrase “giving glory to God.” In my flesh, I want to be able to say, “Look what I did.” When I fully trust God, I cannot say that. If I keep out of it and He provides all that I need, I must give Him the glory. I cannot share in any of it because I had nothing to do with the provision.
God also asks me to walk by faith, not by sight. My faith should be based on who He is, not on what I can see. At the same time, He also knows my frailties and knows that sometimes I need to “see” His faithfulness. He is so gracious! For instance, as He faithfully provides my financial needs, my anxiety about that is replaced with confidence. He has proven His promise and I do not need to worry.
The proper response to that provision is another matter. It is too easy to say “I trust God and do not worry” as if I had anything to do with it. This is the flesh again, trying to jump in and take some glory. However, the only correct response is, “Gods takes care of me and lifts my burdens, even the burden of worry. I am safe in His hands as He teaches me to trust Him with all my heart.”
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