I recently read a story from the Bible; one I had read repeated in the past but never seen it like I did now. It was the story of Abram in Genesis 12. God called Abram to leave his country to a land that God would show him. He took all he had and in faith stepped out to the land of Canaan. This was at an advanced age of 75 years. He embarked on a journey to the unknown and his compass was the directions that God gave him. While in the heart of Canaan, a land occupied by the then Canaanites, God made another promise: to give the land of Canaan to Abram’s descendants. Not to Abram but his descendants! Descendants he did not even have! Yet, Abram believed and continued on his way. It was not until almost 24 years later that he would see his first descendant.

If I was in his shoes, I would have had many questions. What if I never have children? Which descendants was God talking about? What if the people in the land refused to give it up? How would he even chase them away? What if he was not hearing God but his own dreams and imagination? What was before him was a taken land. Not a free plot like we know it, neither was it in his financial ability to buy off a whole nation.

Fast forward to the new testament and Abram (now Abraham) was declared the father of faith (Romans 4). He believed and it was credited to him as righteousness; not because he saw but because he belived before it came to pass. How often do we find ourselves in situations that are uncertain, whose end we cannot ascertain? Do we have silent prayers that we are not sure will even be answered? Does God give us promises that seem too great to achieve and we wonder whether we heard Him right?

It is during such uncertain times that we must believe; that our faith …is faith. When the promise is beyond our financial status, our intellectual capacity and our human strength and ability. This is when we trust God to make it come true because He has promised and His promises are ‘Yes and Amen’! (1 Corinthians 1:20).

I once dared to dream big dreams (I still do, very big ones) and was told to stop trying God and learn to be content. Is big faith a lack of contentment? Does it mean I am ungrateful for what I have: On the contrary, a lack of faith displeases God, for without faith we cannot please Him (Hebrews 11:6). How can we believe in an Almighty, All-knowing, omniscient and omnipresent God and have doubts that He can do exceedingly, abundantly above all we can think or imagine?

This big faith is what we see in children. Tell a child to jump from a height into your arms and they will do so gleefully. Tell an adult and they start to wonder…what if you drop them, or they hurt themselves? We are born with child-like faith but the circumstances of life cause us pain leading us to fear and doubt. This is why Christ called us to be like a child. Simple minded, trusting and genuinely believing with all we have got. This does not take a lot of faith…. just as little as a mustard seed will move the mountains in our lives.

I know the plans God has for me: of good and not of evil. All things are working together for my good. I can do all things through Christ. All these, I believe and will live to testify of the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. I believe not because I see but because He is. What are you trusting God for? A job? Children? Finances? A spouse? Protection from Covid? What if we seek first His will for us, then trust Him to bring it to pass in our lives? Even as we are believing, may our faith be right with God’s will for us. James 4:2-3 reminds us why we do not have: because we do not ask, and when we do, it is with wrong motives. What is your why? What is the real reason you pray the prayers you do? When the reason goes beyond you to others, the answer will come.

As our faith is, so shall it be unto us. I read a book on ‘The Secret’ and it is all about our faith. Bringing to life that which we desire by believing it to be. It does not mean we sit back and do no work because we ‘believe’ but as we work, we are glad to do so because the end is here with us. We can see it, feel it, touch it in the eyes of our hearts. Though it tarries…. wait for it. It will surely come to pass.