"Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).
We all desire to claim God’s promises, not only for our comfort and blessing but so that we may please Him. We want a faith that brings glory to Him, yet there are times many of us struggle to grasp such a faith.
We often become troubled when our prayers aren’t answered and start to question our faith, wondering, "Is my trust in the Lord too weak? Am I slow to believe? Why do the heavens seem closed to my prayers? Have I wavered somehow? Am I not fervent enough? Is there an evil root of unbelief lodged somewhere in my heart?”
We are trying so hard to believe, struggling so hard to please the Lord with a proper kind of faith, that we thwart our own faith with judgment. Now, after many decades of service to God, I want to tell you what proper faith has become to me:
It means holding fast to God’s promises when there is no physical evidence that His promises are being fulfilled.
It means trusting the Holy Spirit to keep my soul at rest, convinced God is working out all things for my good.
It means resting in this declaration from Paul: "We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).