Faith is a decision to trust, and in the case of Christianity, it is a decision to trust in God. We are trusting that the many promises that He has made to us through His Word will all be fulfilled. Everyone has faith, but not everyone has faith in God. If you turn on a light switch, you have faith that the room instantly will become brighter. To understand this with more of a life-or-death point of view, a skydiver can take all the steps to make his journey safer by packing his own parachute, checking it multiple times and following all the guidelines of how to make a safe jump. Yet when it comes down to the last moment of taking that one step out of the airplane, he must have faith that the parachute will open and bring him safely to the ground. When Paul wrote to the church members of Thessalonica, he commented on their faith:
3 We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other, 4 so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, 5 which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer; 6 since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, 7 and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, 8 in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Thessalonians 1:3-8
Paul was known for his long sentences, and the verse above is another of those, so take your time wading through the various clauses! He begins with a testament of his compliment of the faith of the church members, which was growing exceedingly. What causes faith to grow in abundance? Is it ease of situation or smoothness of life? How about prosperity or wealth? If you go to a gym, your muscles aren’t going to grow by watching others exercise. Instead, the muscle has to be worked hard in order to build it. No pain, no gain. Similarly, this philosophy applies to the faith of believers. We grow when tested.
Could answered prayer have anything to do with increased faith? It certainly can, yet don’t forget that our prayers are not supposed to be Christmas wish lists made to the great Santa Claus. The sweetest prayers are the ones made on behalf of others, which are intercessory prayers. That has more to do with hardship, trial or tribulation, as we support our fellow believers by asking the Lord to come to their rescue. Though each of us seem to run from trouble, sometimes that is right where God wants us in order to force us to trust in Him above self! I read a book in college entitled, “The Body in Pain.” The book’s main premise was that to a person who has not experienced pain, a pin prick will be so excruciatingly painful that the person will think they are about to die. Yet after experiencing different levels of pain, we realize that our pain tolerance has grown and that the pin prick was nothing.
God draws us closer to Himself through the various trials. When we look back on the situations He has pulled us through, our faith grows. The more difficult the trial, the greater testimony we have of His merciful hand in our lives. If you remember what He has accomplished in your life, your faith will grow. Additionally, if you want your faith to grow, read His Word:
17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Romans 10:17
What it comes down to is a life-or-death decision, like that of the skydiver. Do you truly believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? Your eternal life is based on that one step. Have you packed your eternal parachute properly?
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