Passive Faith

Abram was called by God to leave his home, his land, his father, his mother, his upbringing, his heritage. He left it all and went to a land of God’s leading (see Genesis 12).

What faith! It takes amazing faith to leave everything behind and respond immediately, wholeheartedly to the word that one is hearing in his heart, whether it is an audible or an inner voice. Abram did so, though, and he left and took with him his young nephew named Lot.

“Then Abram said to Lot, ‘Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen. Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.’” (Genesis 13:8-9, ESV).

Abram was employing what I call a passive faith. I don’t mean passive in the sense of “I don’t care” or “Que sera, sera — whatever will be, will be.” This type of passive faith says that you are not going to take action on your own behalf. You are not going to try to make things happen by the will of man. You will allow God to orchestrate the events in your life in such a way that his plan will be accomplished.

There are times in life where we need to have that type of passive faith, when there’s nothing else we can do but say, “God, your will be done, not mine.”

Passive faith looks at situations that seem impossible and says, “God, I don’t know how this will ever be worked out. I don’t know how any of these difficulties and troubles that I’m facing will ever be resolved, but I put my trust in you.”

Abram had the confidence that God was looking out for his best interests and that God knew what was better for him than he himself knew. Abram did not just rest in the Lord, but he trusted that God was going to make the right decision for him.