On my wall above my desk hangs a framed print statement about faith. There is no indication who made the statement so I am unable to credit anyone for it. This is what the framed print states:

“Faith is not belief without proof, but trust without reservation.”

It’s an intriguing statement. Especially when you pair it with some of the statements about faith that are recorded in Scripture. Most people it seems are quick to quote “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain move and it would move . . . ” (Matthew 17:20) Jesus said this to his disciples and truly it is a statement about them having a lack of faith. Now, I’m aware that many of Jesus’ teachings are in a parabolic form. . . so I’m pretty sure he didn’t mean that if you can’t look at a mountain in your area and tell it to move and it’s still there that you don’t have any faith. To more fully understand that particular saying of Jesus you would have to read the verse in context and perhaps discuss it with an ordained member of your church.

As I have pondered the statement “Faith is not belief without proof, but trust without reservation.” I have been drawn to read and contemplate Hebrews 11:1 – 12:2.

This passage talks about things that were accomplished by faith working in and through specific people who accomplished specific tasks in their lifetime.

So often we want proof before we will take a step in a certain direction. Sometimes people miss out on wonderful relationships, careers, and life – because they wanted proof first. They want proof that marriage is worth the risk, they want proof that enough people have succeeded, they want proof that someone has done well enough in the past to trust them in the present or the future . . . “Prove it to me” is a familiar mantra . . . and in some regards and circumstances it makes sense. This is why I believe that the testimonies people of this generation have to share about their personal relationship with the Lord are sometimes as important to people to hear these days as it is for them to hear the stories that are recorded in Scripture.

What would you write or talk about your life of faith? What would you write or talk about the life of another person from a faith perspective? What would your faith story be about when it comes to recording something on paper about you or other people having had faith (trust) in God, in Christ, without reservation? Finally, what do all these stories tell us about what kind of faith and trust God has had in humanity? Remember, he created us in His image. Can we say that God trusted humanity, without reservation, to subdue the earth and everything in it? Can we say that God trusted humanity to be fruitful and to multiply? If God trusted us, and still does (at least I believe he does, because we are still all in this world together) then why is it so difficult for us to trust God and turn our lives and hope and wills over to God? Is it because some people think God has failed to fulfill his promises? Is it because it seems that so many people have failed to subdue anything in themselves, much less in the world? Is it because we find it difficult to have faith in ourselves, to trust our own self with our lives?

Perhaps the answer is yes to the last two questions more than it is because of thinking God has failed. So, how can we have more faith and trust in our ability to subdue ourselves? The end of Matthew 17:20 reads: “and nothing will be impossible for you.” It seems to me then, that this concept of subduing the earth and ourselves begins with having a spirit of self-discipline more than it does a spirit of self-confidence. When is the last time you asked the Lord to give you a the spirit of self-control or a spirit of self-discipline? Have you been willing to pray and fast in order to receive to receive such a spirit?

Let us pray:

Lord, please give more people a desire to have a spirit of self-discipline and self-control so that working together in faith, without reservation, your will for us to live together in peace and unity, your desire for us to care for one another, may be accomplished in our generation. We ask this so that you might be glorified in and through us with Jesus. AMEN