When Faith Runs Out, God Has Enough for Both of You

“Against all odds, when it looked hopeless, Abraham believed the promise and expected God to fulfill it. Or ‘who beyond hope in hope believed.’ He took God at his word, and as a result he became the father of many nations. God’s declaration over him came to pass: ‘Your descendants will be so many that they will be impossible to count!’” – Romans 4:18

Sometimes I wonder what our lives would look like if we took God at face value and actually believed that He will do what He says He will do. Many of us have gotten used to praying without expecting answers, believing without expecting to see, and speaking without truly knowing if it will come to pass. And yet Abraham’s faith went further than this. Abraham believed against all odds and took God at his word. What if we did the same?

What Does It Mean to Have Faith?

What does it mean to believe? Belief is faith. Faith is the ability to hope, dream, and trust. Trust is to believe that something will happen or someone will do what they say they will do. All of these elements are connected, and that is why I believe many people have lost their faith. Not because they no longer believe God exists (they do) but because they hoped and were disappointed, they dreamed and it didn’t pay off, or they trusted and the trust was broken. All these things directly affect our faith.

If faith is made up of hope, and foundational faith is made up of hope and trust in God, how do we get our faith back when we’ve lost our ability to dream and trust? This is where the beauty of God’s character comes in. Because when we lose the ability to believe in Him, He has enough faith for the both of us. This is what is called faith of God. It goes beyond our own faith, trust, hopes, and dreams. Rather, it grasps something originating from God so that it can, in turn, operate and be born in us.

He Has Enough Faith for the Both of Us

What do I mean by this? Do you remember the man who came to Jesus asking for healing for his tormented son? This man had probably hoped for his son’s healing for many year. All his hopes up to this point had been dashed, and his faith was shaken. As a last resort, he came to Jesus and asked for a miracle. Jesus, in turn, asked the man if he believed. Let’s see what happened in the Bible:

“Jesus said to him, ‘If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.’ Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, ‘Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!’” – Mark 9:23-24, NKJV

This man, desperate for a solution, comes to Jesus. He basically tells Jesus, “If there’s anything you can do, help!” Jesus answers him by saying, “If you believe, anything is possible.” The man, broken and at his lowest, without an ounce of mountain-moving faith, is bluntly honest. He tells Jesus, “I believe in my head, so help me believe in my heart.”

This man had no deep-seated faith of his own. But Jesus had enough for the both of them. He can work with faith and without faith. And sometimes, His faith and His compassion is enough, even when we have nothing left to give. Jesus goes on to heal and deliver this man’s son. The man’s honesty and willing heart was greater than the biggest faith he could have had.

Do you feel like this man? Have you dreamed, trusted and hoped only to be hurt, let down and betrayed? If so, it’s alright. God can give you some of His faith until your head knowledge becomes heart conviction once more. If you want to believe, but no longer feel like you can, He can help you, hold your hand, and guide you until you see the breakthrough.

God Keeps His Promises

Romans says, “Abraham believed the promise, and expected God to fulfill it.” What does this tell you? Whose job was it to fulfill the promise? It was God’s. And today, it is still God’s job. Our role is to believe the promise, to stay hopeful, and when we run out of hope, to believe in our head God can still do it until we can believe it in our heart.

Our role is to believe. When we can’t believe, our role is to hope. When we can’t hope, our role is to trust. When we can’t trust, our role is to look at God’s face and say, “I believe, help my unbelief.”

God’s role is to fulfill the promise. How, when, and where are up to Him. But trying to take this into our own hands will only result in pain and disappointment. Abraham thought he could fulfill the promise himself. This ended with Hagar crying in the dessert with a dying son. Years later, it led to a people who opposed the nation of Israel as bitter enemies.

Remember, our job is to believe. God’s job is to fulfill. When God fulfills the promise, there is joy and blessing in it.

“The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it.” – Proverbs 10:22, NKJV

What Do You Do with the Disappointment?

But what if you’ve been disappointed one too many times? Doesn’t this make faith more painful?  Would it not be better to cease hoping and believing so as not to continually expose your heart to pain anymore?

Abraham eventually saw his promise fulfilled. But what would have happened if he had stopped believing? There would be no Isaac, no Jacob, no nation of Israel. Our Bibles would be unimaginable without these men. What about your story? If you cease believing, what will it cost you, those around you, and generations of people yet to be born?

What if, despite the pain of today, you kept believing for the joy tomorrow? What could God do if you stayed with your eyes fixed on Him, taking Him at His word? Jesus endured the cross for the joy set before Him. What is the joy God has set before you? How can you set your eyes on that? What would your life look like if you took God at His word, kept believing, and pushed through?

The Reward of Persevering Faith

Faith that pushed through disappointment will, eventually, see fulfillment. Don’t give up before you see “Isaac” being born in your life. Take God at face value. And if it hurts too much to believe right now, then come to God with that pain and trust He will have enough faith for the both of you.

Remember Abraham. Against all odds, he hoped against hope. He believed in God’s ability to fulfill the promise. And finally, finally, God’s declaration over him came to pass. If you feel hopeless and have no more faith to keep going, remember that Abraham’s God is your God, and He still fulfills His promises.

Take God at His word. Because while our faith tumbles, His word never does, and it never will.

My prayer for you is that you will be encouraged, take heart, and get a little courage to take God at face value once more. He is for you!

Thanks for reading,
Anna

---

Photo by Glen Jackson on Unsplash