I was thinking recently about friendship—the most basic underpinning of which is trust. Have you ever had someone you were close to—someone you’d been through a lot with–doubt you? If so, you probably found it hurtful. After all, friends don’t lie to each other—they’re people you can depend on. The thought occurred to me that if Jesus calls me His friend (John 15:15) then the least I can do is to take Him at His Word; the least I can do is to believe Him.
In experience, though, we sometimes may find ourselves believing God up to a point, but we’re not fully convinced. We’re not trusting Him with our whole heart (See Proverbs 3:5-6). We kinda, sorta, trust Him, but when competing doubts rise up overshadowing that trust, we may fall back into uncertainty, fear, and self-reliance. Just as we might struggle to enjoy the company of supposed friends who put no faith in us, we can’t expect God to take pleasure in those without faith (Hebrews 11).
God’s not looking for wimpy, half-hearted faith. He’s looking for faith that can go the distance. Some pray about something and if their answer doesn’t come in 24 hours, they think, “Well, that didn’t work!” We live in an impatient society that seeks immediate gratification, but it’s through faith and patience that we inherit the promises (Hebrews 6:12). When we waver in our faith, allowing competing doubts to flourish in the soil of our hearts, we are double-minded and unstable (see James 1).
We read in Romans 4 that Abraham demonstrated faith with staying power. Did you know that God promised him a child 25 years before it happened? Can you imagine his being told at 75, when his wife was already 65, he was going to have a son? Then a year passes. And another year. And a decade. Most of us would have given up long before with a dismissive, “Guess I really missed God on that one!” But the Bible says Abraham didn’t waver in unbelief. He wasn’t double-minded. Even during the fiasco that led to Ishmael, Abraham truly believed God would deliver on His promise.
The New Testament echoes this truth. Jesus taught that God is looking for faith on the earth (Luke 18:8). That’s why Jesus called it out when He saw faith in a Roman centurion and in a Canaanite woman, but was astounded at its rarity among the Jews–even in His own disciples (Matthew 8:10, 26; 15:28). For example, when doubting Thomas encountered Him after His resurrection, Jesus admonished, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29).
We have an incredible opportunity to believe before we see. We can emulate David, who wrote in Psalm 26, “I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.” That’s the kind of faith that pleases God. And we are well-equipped to follow Abraham’s and David’s examples by trusting in and believing God and His Word. Why wouldn’t we? After all, Jesus calls us His friends!
