Wobbly Faith

Do you ever feel that that your faith is a bit wobbly?

Abraham is regarded in the Bible as one of the giants of faith. But, as I’ve been reading his story in Genesis, I’ve been struck by just how wobbly even his faith sometimes was.

There was a famine in the land to which God had called him to go. So, instead of trusting in God’s provision, Abraham went to Egypt, where there was plenty of food. Once there, he was scared that, when people saw how beautiful his wife, Sarah, was, they’d kill him. So, he told everyone that she was his sister. It was a half-truth – she was his half-sister.

When faith is wobbling, some people resort to bravado. There’s a big difference between faith and bravado. Bravado involves denial – denying that your faith is wobbling, trusting in what you are saying, not in what God says.

Others resort to avoidance strategies. That’s what Abraham did. He told lies so as to get away from the problem.

What God looks for is honesty.

Soon after reading the stories about Abraham (he resorted to the same strategy a second time – Genesis 20:2), I was reading Mark 9, where a father comes to Jesus, desperate to see his son set free from a demon. Jesus says to him, “All things are possible for the one who believes.” The distraught father replies, “I believe, help my unbelief”! That was honesty. He was saying, “I’ve got faith, but it’s really wobbly just now.” At once, Jesus drove the demon out.

When faith wobbles, what God sees is not the wobble, but the faith.

Did God turn His back on Abraham because his faith wobbled in Egypt? No! Did Jesus refuse to heal the boy in Mark 9 because of the father’s unbelief? No! Will God turn His back on me because my faith is no bigger than a mustard seed? Of course not!