Simple Faith

Simple Faith

Why do you have so little faith? Matthew 6:30

FRANCIS OF ASSISI WAS SAID to have preached to birds on occasion. He told them how they had the freedom to fly, were covered with layers of feathers to keep them warm, never had to sow and reap, and had an endless supply to eat and drink from the fields and rivers around them. He talked to them about the love the Father has shown them and warned them against the sin of ingratitude. He essentially turned Jesus’ sermon about worry back toward them and showed how they and the wildflowers are clearly cared for by the God who watches over them. In so doing, he emphasized Jesus’ point: that if such relatively minor figures in creation are cared for so well, why wouldn’t we assume that human beings made in God’s image are under his even greater care?

Still, many of us grow anxious when funds get tight, jobs are lost, the economy turns downward, unexpected expenses hit, and savings dwindle. In our biggest prayers, we ask God to give us huge gifts, grant great breakthroughs, bear substantial fruit, and open significant doors. But in trying times, our prayers grow small, almost as if we wonder whether he will help us survive without too much pain. Yet the psalmist said he had never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread (Psalm 37:25), and Jesus pointed to birds and lilies as case studies in God’s provision. We may go through trying times, but we have nothing to worry about.

In your prayers of faith for big things, don’t forget to trust God for the little things too. Thank him for everything—each meal, each gust of a refreshing breeze, every beautiful scene, every gentle smile from a loved one, and anything else you can think of. Your practice of gratitude will remind you constantly that God has been with you every step of the way and filled your life with his touch. And your prayers for daily bread will touch his heart as profoundly as your prayers for the spiritual welfare of entire nations do. Learn to rest, trust, embrace peace, and live in freedom from anxiety. Your Father can be trusted and responds to your faith with love.

He who gives you the day will also give you the things necessary for the day.