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Blogs by Laura Davis
What is Faith? 5/2/2008 7:54:40 AM
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)
I've been wondering about faith in God lately and what it means to people. I had a conversation with someone recently, who said to me, "I wish I could have faith like you." So I started wondering what the difference was between someone who has no faith in God and someone who does.
Faith in general is, as the verse says, the assurance of things hoped for. I have faith that when I sit down on a chair, it will hold me up. Of course if I gain anymore weight that's another story altogether! But, for now I have faith in that chair! Faith in God is the same thing with one slight twist - I can't see Him. That's the other part of the verse and faith - the conviction of things not seen. Where does that conviction come from? Does it just happen overnight? Or does faith in God involve a certain amount of trust on our part?
I have known about God all my life, my first experience of His love for me that showed me I could trust Him, was when my family and I were on a camping trip out East. I think I was about 8 years old at the time and we camped in a tent trailer. At some point in the trip (I believe it was New Brunswick) a Tornado hit during the night. Some said it was the tail end of a Tornado. I'm not sure of the details of the storm, I only know that it scared me to death! I remember my mother, father and sister screaming at me to wake up and hold onto the tent. But I didn't do that. Instead, I started praying to God. I asked Him to stop the storm and keep us safe. In my child's mind it felt like the storm stopped almost immediately. Can you imagine how that made me feel? I asked the God of the universe to stop a storm and He did! So my first step toward faith that day, began with three simple acts:
I believed God was there.
I believed God loved me.
I believed God listened to my prayers.
In other words - I trusted! Faith is, when all is said and done, a matter of trust. I took the first step and God showed His love for me in a mighty way!
The reality of God began that day for me. I never again doubted His existence. However, it took me another 10 years before I realized what He wanted out of a relationship with me.
