The Evidence of Faith

By: Pamela Fletcher

Faith has an inimitable way of showing a very strong presence in our lives. Most times we focus on the fact that we lack faith. We feel as though faith is far from us because we haven’t received the specific things we’ve asked God for. We often begin to feel downtrodden and in despair when we don’t see tangible results or a snapshot of the things we’ve hoped for. Have you ever stopped and thought about what God is doing on the inside of us while we are going through our faith process? Have you ever thought about the fact that God is building, strengthening, and manifesting his character and power inwardly (Acts 1:7-8). There may even be moments where we are disappointed or angry with God because he didn’t grant us a particular wish or desire of our hearts. 

God wants us to take a deeper look inside our hearts. He wants us to understand that having faith is not completely about receiving all of the things we’ve asked him for or believe we should have. During our time of petitioning (beseeching) God through prayer and appeals, we should also consider the manner in which we are asking and seeking God. Are we asking according to the will of God (which is his word); or are we asking with “high hopes,” expecting God’s answer to only be “yes”? If this is the case, we may want to reassess our position with the Lord. Our heavenly Father wants to work in our hearts and minds as we are trusting in him. He wants us to have an understanding of his heart and his ways. Let’s try to remember that believing God by faith is not solely about “yes or no.” Faith is trusting God without limitations.

During our faith journey, we don’t realize transformation is taking place from the inside out. We are continuously gaining and gathering from God when we believe in his Word.  The Word of God declares in Hebrews 11:1, Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  Let’s focus on the portion of the text that says, “The evidence of things not seen.” Normally in our faith walk we look for evidence. We believe God isn’t working on our behalf because we don’t see signs, proof, or tangible change. For example, we may have been praying for a loved one to be healed and although we have prayed and believed God for their healing, there is no physical evidence of their recovery. 

Although we are quick to accept that we have not received from the God, have we ever stopped long enough to ask ourselves, “what have I been receiving from the God while waiting on him?” I’ve discovered during my time with the Lord and during my faith journey that God had been giving me a wonderful gift all along—a gift that is immeasurable and everlasting! When I discovered this, it stopped me in my tracks. Before this discovery, I had become very frustrated with God because I felt that he was ignoring and not listening to me. I was very angry with God. I had been praying and asking him for my heart’s desire and it simply was not happening fast enough or, in my time. Soon after, I realized there was no use in being mad at God because I knew he loved me and would never do anything to hurt me. I decided I needed to take a closer look within to see where my heart was concerning my plea before the Lord. In other words, I had to examine myself. 

During my examination period (which came through studying God’s Word) I realized that all along, even during my anger and frustration with God, he was presenting me with a gift that I call, unforeseen evidence. I call it “unforeseen evidence” because I had to stumble across it or come to understand the benefit of faith by using God’s word. For example, think about a crime scene. Think about all of the evidence that has to be collected in order to prove someone’s guilt or innocence. At some crime scenes, physical evidence is very present. Then you have evidence that has to be discovered, researched, or brought to the surface because it cannot be seen with the naked eye. You have to use special technology and forensic science to determine DNA or someone’s blood type. There is evidence that goes “unforeseen” because it was undiscovered, not researched or unproven.   

Evidence is something that you discover or, in my case, something that God revealed through his word. I had to learn what God wanted me to see about the things I had been praying about. I had to look at my heart and ask myself if I was being sober in my thinking. God wants us to be aware of the fact that he is always working something out in us. I couldn’t see this initially because I was more focused on wanting God to give me what I desired. 

God wanted me to pay attention to finding the unforeseen (unpredicted) evidence in his Word. The proof that he loves me and knows the things I have need of before I ask him. He wanted me to see the details involving my faith journey. He wanted me to see that he was maturing me in certain areas of my life. He even required something of me during this process. We often want God to do all of the work while we sit back and reap the benefits. But God is God! He can do what he wants to, when he wants to. However, he required me to do something whether his answer was yes or no. I had to humble myself and be corrected and chastised by the Lord. I had to be patient and obedient. I had to repent, pray for others, use wisdom, and accept God’s will. I had to do my part.

Trusting God is not always easy. We all stumble at times; however, one of the most significant and important things to remember in trusting God is found in Proverbs 3:5-7. My prayer is that we all find our refuge in the Lord and that we allow him to order our steps as he leads and guides us in all truth.