What is Faith?
What is Faith? By Melody Margrave
Photo by Keem Ibarra on Unsplash
“Whatever you ask for in prayer, you will receive if you have faith.” (Matthew 21:22)
What is faith?
I’ve asked myself that question almost every day as I’ve headed the uncharted territories of my life. No matter what stage of life I am in – I call it my nine plus lives – I question if I am doing the right thing. It’s easy to say – “I’ve just got to have faith…” – but what does that really mean?
Is faith jumping off the bridge and knowing that God will catch me, or is faith asking God to help me to safely get off that bridge and knowing that he’ll provide me with the answers to do just that?
Is faith blindly walking into a tough situation and then asking God to get me out of it, or is faith asking God for direction in a tough situation I may encounter and then following those guidelines he gives to me? And is faith knowing when to listen to where I am being guided?
It’s hard to have faith and trust that God will provide, instead of taking things into our own hands, but when it comes right down to it, who knows better – me or God?
What is faith? I have faith God will provide for my needs (and sometimes even my wants). I have faith God will answer my prayers (even though it might not be the answer I’m looking for). Most importantly, for today, I have faith that God will provide an answer to this pandemic when the time comes.
So again, I ask what is faith? The Bible describes faith as believing and trusting that what God has promised us, he will provide. Faith is knowing that the Bible is true and even though there are things that are promised and things that are unseen, they will be provided for us. The dictionary describes faith as believing that someone or something deserves to be trusted.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
God promised me everlasting life if I will follow his commandments.
“Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)
He promised he would be with me always even until the end of the world. I have faith he will. That is truly not hard to believe because I’ve seen time and again that he is with us.
So again, I ask What is faith? Is that all it is to faith? Is it that simple? I’m reminded of the story of the man who needs rescuing from his home during a flood. He prays to God for help yet rejects help from rescuers because he had faith that God was going to save him. Oh, how many times I have let my faith slide because I didn’t trust God’s help in the form of others. Faith is trusting and listening. Faith is knowing that whatever form the help is given, it is coming from God. Faith is not judging what your help looks like or seems to be, it is the answer. Faith is planning and knowing that God will guide you. My faith grows as I study the Bible.
“Faith comes from hearing the Word of God, and the message is heard through the word about Christ Jesus.” (Romans 10:17)
So, is my answer to all the questions I have asked to blindly walk with God and trust that he will provide? Yes and no. The answer that I have found is somewhere in the middle of that definitive yes and no. My answer is to study, to pray, to follow the teachings of the Bible, and to plan, to put some thought into it, to look at it through the teachings of Jesus, and to take those situations that are put before you to follow God’s will.
God has never promised us an easy life. In fact, it is through trials that we become stronger in our faith. We have all asked “Why?” many times. Why am I going through this? Why did this happen? This Earthly walk is not an easy one and that is why we need to know that God is there for us.
“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. (I Peter 1:6-7)
Therefore, when we find ourselves as the man on the roof, we need to be able to see the answer that God provides. In that story, the mans talked the talk of faith, but he did not walk the walk. He turned down many attempts to rectify his need of rescue.
Faith is difficult because we do not always see the simple answers. We think God’s will is always going to be some huge, glorified gesture. The man on the roof must have been waiting for angels to swoop down from heaven to rescue him from the raging waters. He didn’t realize that God sent his rescue boat three times. When the answer is presented to us, we need to have faith to heed its calling. I hope I have that faith.
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we mow stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perserverance, character; and character, hope.” (Romans 5:1-4)
Melody C. Margrave is married to Richard Margrave and lives in Virginia with their son, Zachary. She is a high school English teacher. An only child, she was lucky enough to marry into a family where she now has four sisters and two brothers – Brenda Hale being one of the sisters. She loves her Tennessee family who she has not been able to see during this pandemic, but is so happy the Brenda has started this ministry. She can’t wait to hear of the families that are blessed by Brenda’s relationship with God.
