It is common for new believers to begin with a measure of faith and then develop a moderate level of love for God. After this the believer usually begins to encounter challenges that stretch their faith. Then the questions is whether or not the believer will push ahead with deeper faith. It is not so difficult to develop a strong love for God, even if it is not yet mature. But developing deep faith is a huge challenge that many never overcome. In other words, it is easier to develop love than faith.
We see this in human relationships. A mother may truly love her son with all her heart but if he is leading a destructive life she may not even trust him to stay overnight in her house. Trust is something that is earned over time as a person proves themself. We will not risk our well-being on someone who has not proven themselves reliable. This is basic wisdom.
Furthermore, we don’t really know how much we trust a friend until it is tested by severe circumstances. The riskier the matter the more hesitant we will be to trust someone, especially if the matter requires the other person to make a sacrifice. How do we know the other person will be reliable to the point of giving up something that is valuable to them?
All these dynamics affect our faith in God. And faith in God is complicated by the fact that we can’t see God or Jesus. It is also complicated by the fact that even though God is all-powerful and loves us he still allows bad things to happen to us, which a good parent would not do. Also, in the past we have asked for things from God that he has not given us. Moreover, trusting God sometimes means making big sacrifices or at least giving up on our immediate desire.
God knows that deep faith is not easy. He understands these challenges so we shouldn’t be too hard on ourselves when we fail. With his grace and wisdom we can overcome the challenges.
Remember that faith is the foundation of relationships, especially our relationship with God. It opens up the flow of the love and power of God. It frees God to Christform your life. “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb. 11:6, NIV). Consider how disappointed we are when someone doesn’t trust us even though we are trustworthy. We want to bless them but we can’t because of their lack of faith. They need to believe that we will do good for them. Likewise, Hebrews 11:6 continues: “because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” We too must believe that trusting God will ultimately lead to reward and not misery. The more we pursue this attitude the deeper our faith will be.
