Human beings have the innate capacity to have faith. We board a train in faith that it won’t derail and get us to our desired destination. We get into our car in faith that it won’t break down. We put our money in the bank in faith that it will be safe. Many times over, we do things that are in faith.
Similarly, we have faith in the existence of certain things or beings we cannot see. Some believe that extraterrestrials and UFOs are real. Others, like a lady in the small Dutch town I grew up in, believe that dwarves are real.
More importantly, many believe that God exists, that the Bible is true, and that Jesus did walk on earth, preach the kingdom of God, perform miracles, die on the cross, and rise again from the dead.
That is a step closer to the faith God wants from us. After all, Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” But simply believing that He exists is not enough. Plenty of people do and, at the same time, live their lives as if He doesn’t matter. Faith that He exists must result in seeking Him.
But why?
He created us for a relationship with Him in which He plays an active role in everything we do. Faith that an invisible God saved us, redeemed us, loves us, and wants to guide, protect, and provide for us activates that role. Seeing is believing won’t help us here. We must intentionally trust that He not only can but will do those things for us.
That leads us to the bedrock of our faith—the place where we feel we are on solid footing when we surrender ourselves to God’s Sovereign leadership and care, especially when we don’t understand everything He does.
The bedrock of my faith consists of four things:
- God’s unconditional love. I get that from Scripture verses such as these:
But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38,39) - God’s omnipotence. That’s a big theological word that is made up of the Latin words omni (all) and potens (powerful). I get that from verses such as these:
Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me? (Jeremiah 32:27)
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21 - God’s omniscience. Another big theological term. We already know that omni means “all.” Science comes from the word “scient,” which means “knowing.” In other words. He knows everything. God’s omniscience is spoken of by verses such as these, which gives me hope that He knows me better than I do myself, He knows what I face and what I need, and He knows what is going to happen and is supposed to happen in my life:
For your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (Matthew 6:8)
O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. (Psalm 139:1-4) - God’s omnipresence. Another “omni” word. In combination with “presence” it means that God is present everywhere. He is the only Being Who can. Angels can’t, fallen angels can’t. Not even Satan can. And people certainly cannot. He is present at the outer edges of the universe and, at the same time, right here beside me. That blows my mind. It means that when I need Him, He doesn’t have to come from afar. He is already there. What is more, He is in me, through the Holy Spirit. I get this marvelous truth from verses like these:
There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:4-6)
Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for in him we live and move and have our being. (Acts 17:27-28)
These are amazing truths the Scriptures reveal to us to meditate on and anchor our faith. Attributes that no other being besides God has. Attributes He wishes us to delight in and rely on with this faculty called faith – the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).
Our faith grows as our vision and experience of God grows. The more You behold His amazing greatness and glory, the easier it becomes to believe that He will keep His promises and lead Your life according to His design.
Make it a point to ask the Holy Spirit for daily insight into the magnitude of these attributes and You will find the bedrock for a strong faith.