Until Faith Remains

Until Faith Remains

Do you believe that I am able to do this? Matthew 9:28, ESV

WE HAVE A REMARKABLE ABILITY to believe something one day and then question it the next. Sometimes our questioning evolves into a near-certainty that the very thing we prayed for is not going to happen. A single word or circumstance can flip this switch in our minds, but no word or circumstance is even necessary for us to move from faith to discouragement. We can envision great outcomes in a challenging situation and then talk as if it is headed toward disaster without thinking. Jesus must confront us again and again with his pointed question: “Do you believe?”

When contrary thoughts throw you into a tailspin, take it as a sign that you weren’t actually believing what you said you believed. Don’t condemn yourself for it; this is good evidence to have. It means you’re still growing in the process toward unshakable faith. But because you’re still growing in that process, you will need to become aware of your mental vacillations and take charge of them. You will have to train yourself in the art of ignoring contrary indications and embracing God’s perspective and promises again and again—until those black holes of faith are filled with abiding assurance. Like a parent training a child in a new habit, you may have to remind yourself to believe until you actually do.

You’ll have plenty of opportunities. When you pray for someone to make good decisions and then hear of a bad one, your brain will want to slip into that sense of inevitability. Don’t let it. When you pray for a door to open and see it shut the next day, you will be tempted to believe your prayers are futile. Don’t fall for it. When you encounter difficulties and instinctively assume God is the one opposing you, don’t be deceived. The ease or difficulty of a particular day or week is no statement on whether God is on your side. He has already said he is (Romans 8:31-32). That’s enough. He has declared himself willing and able to respond to your prayers of faith. Give him that opportunity by praying them faithfully and consistently, and answer his pointed question with an emphatic yes.

Jesus promises his disciples three things: that they would be completely fearless, absurdly happy, and in constant trouble.