The foundation of faith does not lie in my own willpower or passion, but in God’s lovingkindness and faithfulness. Faith is not determined by whether I feel intense zeal and work hard at something, nor is it absent simply because I feel discouraged. Rather, even when I fail to live according to my own resolutions and become disheartened, if I believe that God will have mercy on me and surely restore and establish me fully, that is faith. Even when someone refuses to listen or change no matter how much is said, if I believe that God will ultimately transform that person, that is great faith.
Just as there is no difference in a father’s ability to help whether a newborn clings to him with fragile fingers or a strong teenage son embraces him with all his strength, so too the power of God at work does not vary according to my condition. If my faith is grounded in God’s goodness, the same miraculous work can occur regardless of who I am.
When applying faith, I often assume that I can decide and act freely concerning myself, so I end up trusting my own will and effort. Yet when it comes to others, because I cannot control them, I try to interfere or dominate. If I behave this way, even if I claim to pray and entrust things to God, in reality I am the one taking the lead. That is acting without faith.
The gospel calls for bold initiative. Jesus said that the one who has will be given more, and the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. Depending on how the word is received, it may bear fruit thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold. When Peter saw Jesus walking on the water and dared to ask, “Lord, let me come to you,” Jesus told him to come. Though Peter began to sink when his faith wavered, his bold faith allowed him to experience something extraordinary that the other disciples never did.
For this reason, God’s sovereignty is not the same as fate. Fate implies that everything unfolds within a fixed and unalterable framework. Some speak of God’s sovereignty and will as if they were fatalism or determinism, as though all we must do is discover His plan and passively follow it.
But God’s sovereignty is open in the sense that He responds according to how I respond. He relates to me in a way that respects my decisions, as though He follows alongside me, honoring and trusting my choices. From the beginning, God has called us His children and regards us as co-workers who stand shoulder to shoulder with Him. This is astonishing.
No matter how weak or inadequate I may be, if I place my faith in God’s lovingkindness and goodness, then even when I repeatedly stumble and sin, if I actively seek His mercy and move forward in obedience, I can experience a life in which God performs works as great as His own measure through me. This truth is also found in the metaphor of the vine and the branches spoken by Jesus Christ. When such a relationship is established with Him, it becomes possible to live a life in which “whatever you ask will be done for you” and one that continually bears fruit and glorifies the Father.
The gospel compels me to live actively. Yet when I look closely at that faith, I see that its roots are firmly grounded in God. I am learning anew what faith truly means.
