Increase Our Faith

And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." (Luke 17:5) 

Beware of a romanticized view of faith. Faith is not a tool to get what we want from God, but a means for God to get what He wants from us! Faith teaches us to wait, pray, and obey, while never imaging that God is anything but completely trustworthy, and that He will keep us and His promises to us. It is a partnership whereby we submit ourselves to God, believing and walking with Him toward things we can't yet see and what we don't yet have. But what we do have is most important, and that is a life hidden with God in Christ.

To increase our faith is to exercise our belief in God, so that it becomes the useful and powerful tool He intended. God is faithful, and as our faith increases, we glorify Him for all to see. Everything He permits in our lives, whether blessing or hardship, is to make us more like Jesus. He was tested and tempted, yet He remained faithful. The same will be true of us, if we abide in His love and heed His counsel. May our lives take on the sweetness of a faith-building adventure — joyful, and expectant; and may the Lord enrich and increase our faith, as we abide in Him daily.

Let's Pray - Father, may we not miss the opportunities You give us to increase our faith. May difficult times cause us to seek You more and more, and to worship You on a deeper level than we ever thought possible. In Jesus' name, Amen.