So how does one move from thin faith to thick faith?
Through evaluated experience – To have faith in someone, I have to trust them. That means I take a chance on them and then watch what they do. Then I take another chance, trust them, and if they come through again, I trust them a little more. Over time, if I see they are dependable and I will continue to trust them. When they come through consistently . . . when they exceed my expectations . . . go beyond the minimum, I start to believe they’re trustworthy and even more, that they love me. I trust they’ll be there for me even when I’m not asking them outright. My faith in them is now thicker, deeper, and more resilient.
Importantly, my faith has now grown beyond their performance for me. Now I have faith in their love for me. It’s personal. I now have a friend who ‘has my back.’ Over time, I come to a place where I trust them with me. So much so, they can choose to give me what I want . . . or not. I know they love me enough, they might even say ‘no’ if what I’m wanting isn’t the very best for me long-term. They might know things I don’t know. See dangers ahead I don’t see. Because of their track record of love for me, I relax because I’ve developed deep, thick faith in my friend.
Through surrender – The proverbial ‘leap of faith.’ Usually only taken when there’s no other option. It’s an “all-in, all-at-once” experiment in trust. You jump off the building and hope for the best. If your friend catches you and saves your life, you’ll have faith in him big-time! He came through for you . . . you can trust him.
This is where so many folks find themselves at the end of life. They’ve no experience with God day-to-day but now they want to know He’s dependable to heal them, either here or in Heaven. The absence of an intimate personal relationship makes peace hard to come by. There’s angst. “Does He love me?” “Am I good enough?” “Will I get into Heaven?” “Was my prayer back in 5th grade good enough?”
Faith, by definition is “confidence in things unseen.” If it was made of concrete and steel, it wouldn’t be faith and it wouldn’t require the heart. It wouldn’t require interaction or prayer or a relationship or any of that. Jesus Christ, the Divine Presence of God in a human being and body, came to personalize and energize our faith. He came miraculously, performed all kinds of miraculous things, then died and came back to life miraculously . . . all so you and I can have faith.
Grow your faith a little at a time. Pray, listen, ask, receive, express gratitude, walk and talk with Him every day. Watch how He never leaves or forsakes you. If He’s calling you to grow your faith through a bold leap . . . go for it. Jump. He won’t lead you to trust Him with something as big as your life or your job or your health or your marriage or your kids and then leave you hanging. He always comes through because He always comes with.
Times are coming when we’re going to need tenacious, strong, deep, thick faith. Engage with God and ask Him to grow your faith thick. Now.
