January 28, 2016

Perhaps you have heard it said: “I just don’t have enough faith to believe that.” The subject could be many things – health issues, financial challenges, relationships and certainly matters pertaining to trusting Creator God.

I have been pondering what this attitude means while relating it to other questions: “Are there quantities of faith – is it possible to believe partially but not totally?” “Does faith come in degrees like percentages?” “Is the amount of faith determined by the size of the desired result?”

I wonder, if we believe in someone partially, do we believe in them at all? My belief in a cause is based on the fact that I trust its leaders. If that confidence is not in place, I probably have reservations about supporting it. Most likely I would not have the confidence needed to be identified with it. I could say that I have some faith in it, but in reality this is not true, because if I did, I would be supportive.

I trust that Carol is faithful to me. I have no doubt about that. If I said that I do not have enough faith in her to trust her completely, then I really would not have faith in her at all. But because I have complete faith in her, I have no reservations.

When it comes to faith in Creator God, I must trust Him fully. If I have reservations about His faithfulness, I probably do not actually trust Him. I would never have confidence because I would always leave room for doubt.

If I have faith in the Word of God, I will accept the parts I enjoy as well as the parts that I do not understand. I might even wonder how some of God’s attitudes and actions align with His love, but I trust Him because I have complete faith in Him. Partial faith would be no faith at all.

Rather than saying I can trust God for little things but not the larger concerns, I need to come to a place of complete trust in Him and then learn to accept those areas where it seems He did not do what I thought He would do. Faith is first about Who God is and then what He does. When we reverse the order, we get into trouble.

Pastor Bill Ehmann