The Dynamics and Divine Power of the workings of Godly Faith

The great Faith chapter of Hebrews 11 grabs our attention with a profound declaration:  “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” or, as the revised version puts it, “The assurance of things hoped for, the proving of things not seen”.

The scriptures inform us that “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” and that without Faith, it is impossible to please God. So Faith is a vital commodity, it is the currency we need to do business with our Heavenly Father, for on God’s Kingdom on earth, Faith is the coin of the realm; Faith always gets God’s attention because He longs to be sought after, believed and trusted.

There is a promise in the Word of God for just about every difficulty, trail, temptation, containing words of ‘Hope’, ‘Encouragement’ and ‘Peace’. But it is one thing to know the promises of God, to believe them with a head knowledge, to sing them, to quote them and to preach them. But if we can move to knowing the God who ‘Made the Promises’ to knowing the God who ‘Keeps the Promises’ then we will, all of us, have moved on in the ways of Faith and entered a place of enlargement through knowledge. God is not interested in the elaborate structures and methods of organised religion if no Faith, or little Faith is present. For if our plans, agendas, ideas and visions don’t need God, then it’s not of God, because ‘Divine Faith’ is not at work. Isaac Watts once said: “I believe in the promises of God enough to venture an eternity on them”. Lack of Faith will dull our perception, confuse our purpose, and hinder our direction.

Hebrews 11 goes on to mention ordinary people, just like most of us are, “who through Faith, subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouth of lions, quenched the violence of fire, and escaped the edge of the sword.”

So what is Godly Faith? And  what is believing? It is not positive thinking or presumption; it is not some sort of cosmic optimism; neither does it stem from our intellectual powers of reasoning, but a personal confidence, trust and assurance in our Great God who loves us, and is a refuge and strength, a comfort, an anchor, and an oasis in times of need. “For I know the plans I have for you; plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”  (Jeremiah 29:11).

God has many attributes that serve to extol him, for He is without doubt one who keeps ‘Covenants and Promises’. He is the God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3). We live each day not knowing what tomorrow holds, but we can be confident that our God has our tomorrows planned out – That’s trust.

Times and seasons may well change, but not God. For He is always the God of all comfort. A.W. Tozer once said: “If our faith is to have a firm foundation then we must be convinced beyond any possible doubt that our God is altogether worthy of our trust”.

Finally, let us remember that our God reigns ‘Glorious’ and ‘Triumphant’ and His willingness and desire to bless us with what we have asked for, and all that He wants to give us, rest on our willingness to believe Him for it – For Faith is not believing that God can, it is knowing that He will.

Blessing on you all

Jack

Author info

Jack has been a faithful member of the Free Methodist Church for 34 years, spending many of those years in leadership. He lives in Lancashire, UK, and has recently celebrated 60 years as being a Christian! Find our more about Jack and the story behind Jack’s corner: Treasures of the Word here.

Jack Kerridge