Rest in the Love of God

Do you believe your faith is weak? Have you diligently prayed about a need and believed God with all your heart that he would provide, and you did not see an answer? You read the glorious promises about all things being possible to those who believe: “Whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive” (Matthew 21:22). “Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them” (Mark 11:24). And you claimed those promises! Yet, try as you may to believe — really, truly believe — you often are left confused, because the answer is either delayed or not in view.

Some believe that there are only two reasons why you did not get what you asked for: either your faith is faulty or there is sin in your life. You are made to believe that God had to withhold the answer until your faith improved enough to satisfy him. Either the quality of your faith did not come up to God’s criteria for answered prayer or maybe you said the wrong words or made a “negative confession.”

My friend, that kind of theology is silly and it is a slap in the face of our loving heavenly Father. God works miracles in answer to the prayer of faith and every promise in God’s Word is true. But there is something wonderful about the way God works. He is not motivated to act for us as a result of our faith alone. God is love, and that is what motivates him to act.

“Even when we are too weak to have any faith left, he remains faithful to us and will help us, for he cannot disown us who are part of himself, and he will always carry out his promises to us” (2 Timothy 2:13, TLB). My faith, your faith, all faith must rest on the loving kindness and concern of our heavenly Father.

“Let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth; for in these things I delight” (Jeremiah 9:24, RSV). Let us glory in the steadfast love and kindness of our Father today.