George Müller said, “The only way to learn strong faith is to endure great trials.” Müller spoke from experience. As an evangelist and the director of the Ashley Down orphanage in Bristol, England, Müller’s faith flourished in trials. Early in his ministry, Müller and his wife committed to care for orphans without soliciting donations or going in debt. Instead, they committed themselves solely to prayer and believed God would provide for the needs of the orphanage. Simply put, Müller believed prayer to be more effective than fundraising.
It’s relatively easy to have faith when there’s money in the bank and everyone is well. It’s a different scenario when the cupboard is empty, the bank account is dry, and there are hungry orphans pacing around the dinner table. On multiple occasions, Müller recalled unsolicited food donations arriving just minutes before it was time to feed the children. Still, for the duration of his ministry, he stayed true to his commitment to ask only God for the needs of the orphanage. At the time of his death, Müller had housed, fed, and cared for over ten thousand children.
In Scripture, there’s a consistent theme of God giving His children a measure of faith and then the faith is tested. This was certainly the case with the disciples. In Luke 8, we find Jesus getting in a boat with His disciples after finishing up a busy day of ministry. At Jesus’ request they set sail for Gerasenes. Jesus was no doubt exhausted after a taxing day and He fell asleep in the boat. As they traveled towards Gerasenes, they encountered a storm so fierce the boat filled with water. In a state of panic, they woke Jesus up saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” (Luke 8:25). Jesus awoke from His sleep and rebuked the wind and waves and the boat returned to calm.
“He said to them, Where is your faith?”
Admittedly, if I’d been in the boat I would’ve responded just as the disciples did. There’s a good chance I would’ve been the fool shaking Jesus out of His sleep. But it’s significant Jesus didn’t rebuke the disciples for having no faith. Instead, he asked, “Where is your faith?”
In times of crisis, it’s easy to forget what we believe. To walk in faith, we constantly have to remind ourselves what we believe and what we know to be true. The Christian faith is not abstract, but rather, concrete truths of what we know to be true about God and His character. But here’s where we get tripped up. Faith is never automatically activated on its own; it must be specifically and intentionally applied. Which is exactly why Jesus asked, “Where is your faith?” In other words, “Why are you not applying your faith to this specific situation?”
Perhaps you’re in a time of crisis, or maybe you’re deeply concerned about a problematic situation. Practically speaking, what does it mean to apply faith?
First, we must refuse to panic. Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22) and therefore, when a believer is submitted to the prompting of the Holy Spirit we have the ability to remain calm in any circumstances. Martyn Lloyd Jones wrote in Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Cure, “Faith is a refusal to panic.”
Secondly, we must apply what we believe about God (our faith) to the problem we are dealing with. The Bible is full of promises God has made to His people. As we encounter trials, God’s promises are the only reliable thing to cling to. If we hold on to anything less we will crumble like a cheap card table. As we remind ourselves of His promises, pray the promises, and remind God of His promises, our faith is strengthened and we come through our difficult seasons stronger than when we began. For Christ followers, this isn’t an abstract concept, God intends for this to be our way of life. “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor 5:7).
Let’s keep walking and believing, shall we?
