January 26 I Sunday

Exodus 14-15

Matthew 17

“In You our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and You delivered them.”  —Psalm 22:4

If God’s faithfulness and ability to act are not affected by how much faith we place in Him, is there any benefit to increasing our faith? There is, though not because having more faith will result in a better outcome. An increase in faith will, however, result in a more relaxed and confident Christian life.

Do not misunderstand this. Trusting God more will not necessarily make our circumstances less difficult or suddenly make our ministries more fruitful. But the more we depend on the Holy Spirit to work in and through us, the less we will have to think about putting our trust in God. Our natural response will be to depend on Him rather than acting on our own strength and abilities. The more we trust God, the less conscious we become in the exercise of our faith in Him. 

How then do we grow more confident in God? Paul writes, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ” (Romans 10:17 ESV). The whole purpose of the Bible is for us to get to know God and Jesus Christ, but not merely in propositional facts about them, but experientially. This was one of Jesus’s biggest problems with the Pharisees. He said to them, “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about Me, yet you refuse to come to Me to have life” (John 5:39-40). The Pharisees thought knowing facts about God and having a perfect understanding and abiding of His Law would give them salvation, but they missed out on the fact that the entire Old Testament points to Christ as the only way to God.

Jewish hierarchy knew Old Testament Scripture, but unlike key characters such as Abraham, Moses, Joshua and David, they placed their faith in the Law, rather than in God Himself. Truth in itself does not do very much for us. It may provide us with information, but it does not provide us with transformation. What turns information into transformation and truth into life is combining the truths we know of God with faith in Him.

When we take that first leap of faith, however small, God responds. Eventually, we will be able to look over past experiences and know with certainty God is equally capable today and tomorrow. The more we
know God, the more we trust Him and the more we personally experience Him. Our faith in God is then no longer something we struggle with, but becomes an everyday disposition of heart and mind that comes naturally to us.

Prayer: Sovereign Lord, I long to know and trust You more. Increase my faith so that it becomes second-nature to me and allow me to rest in Your sufficiency. Thank You, Jesus.