Faith has always been an integral part of man’s relationship with God. The principle “the just shall live by faith” is stated in the Old Testament (Hab. 2:4) and then quoted three times in the New Testament (Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38). Biblical faith is not confidence in our own ability or inner strength; it is reliance on the facts of the Word of God. Our heavenly Father loved us so much that He sent His Son to pay the price for our sins; we are saved by His grace, through faith. Having been saved by grace through faith, it becomes the great privilege and responsibility of believers to walk by faith.
When a lost sinner believes, there is great rejoicing in heaven, but not in the camp of the enemy of souls. Having failed to stop a soul from being saved, it now becomes Satan’s goal to stop him from serving. At all costs, the enemy will attempt to keep the new believer from understanding Paul’s teaching to the saints at Colossae: “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him: Rooted and built up in Him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving” (Col. 2:6f).
Being “established in the faith” is to have a practical understanding of what it means to walk by faith—daily confidence in the Lord in every area. We must learn to walk by faith, trusting the Lord, and Him alone, to meet every need.
Financial Needs
This trust includes financial needs. Walking by faith alone invites the Lord’s vital, ongoing affirmation (or correction) of our ministry. The Lord said, “the laborer is worth of his reward.” Paul asks, “Who goes to war any time at his own expense?” (1 Cor. 9:7). The assumption is that the employer is responsible for the wages of the employee. Who is our employer? Can you imagine soldiers laying down their arms to go earn funds for their campaign? Why should we think that “the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth” will not provide for His own work committed to our hands?
Those of us who have been in the Lord’s service for many years are only too ready to admit that stepping out to serve the Lord with no guarantees is a very stretching experience. Actually it probably covers the whole scope of emotions, from faith to fear, and even includes amusement at times. But, speaking personally, my wife and I stepped out to serve the Lord by faith thirty-five years ago and He has always proved to be faithful—even when we struggled with fear and concern over the future. Our faithful Lord has used various methods to keep us going, some quite amazing, but usually He has used His own precious saints. These faithful saints are just as much a part of the ministry as those more visibly involved. In fact, their sacrifice is often greater…much greater!
Some time ago, I picked up a biography of George Müller titled Delighted in God. He was determined to show Christians that we really can trust the Lord to meet our needs. Later in life, he was asked the question: “You have always found the Lord faithful to His promise?” With great earnestness, Müller replied:
Always. He has never failed me! For nearly seventy years, every need in connection with this work has been supplied. The orphans, from the first until now, have numbered 9,500, but they have never wanted a meal. Never! Hundreds of times we have commenced the day without a penny in hand, but our Heavenly Father has sent the supplies by the moment they were actually required. There never was a time when we had no wholesome meal. During all these years, I have been enabled to trust in God, in the Living God, and in Him alone. One million, four hundred thousand pounds have been sent to me in answer to prayer. We have needed as much as £50,000 in one year, [Note: that was in 1857] and it has all come in by the time it has been really needed. No man on earth can say that I every asked him for a penny. We have no committees, no collectors, no voting, and no endowments. All has come in answer to believing prayer. My trust has been in God alone; He has many ways of moving in the hearts of men to help us all over the world. While I am praying, He speaks to this one and another, on this continent and on that, to send help.
George Müller is no longer with us, but our faithful Lord is, and He is just as capable to meet our needs now as He was then. Our testimony is that He has, can, and does! What a joy and testimony it would be to see the Lord’s people turn away from fund-raising schemes and allow the Lord to meet our needs, thus bringing glory to Him as He supplies for His work!
Every Step of the Way
But we must not only consider financial needs. Walking by faith is essential in every area. In fact, without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6). The wonderful implication is that we have the tremendous privilege of actually pleasing the God of all the universe by simply walking with Him by faith.
One only has to read Hebrews 11 for a list of ordinary believers who obeyed God and walked by faith. Some are named and details given; others are just named; still others are listed not by name, but by the suffering that they endured because they believed God and walked with Him. The list of sufferings they endured by faith is staggering, but these precious saints stand as a lasting testimony to the grace and sufficiency of God because they walked by faith.
It is interesting to notice that the writer to the Hebrews ran out of space and time to record all those who walked by faith. There’s a much longer list in heaven that has been being added to down through the centuries and won’t be completed until all believers are forever with the Lord.
Today’s Heroes
Here is another thrilling note: There are heroes of faith today! Maybe you know some.
An old friend of ours was one of the top rheumatoid arthritis experts in the world. But each Tuesday lunch time would find him with other believers faithfully preaching the gospel to passersby on the steps of Leeds Town Hall. Saturday evenings, he and others would endure heckling in the shopping center in town. The summer weeks would be spent preaching the gospel on the beaches to the seaside holiday makers.
For nearly fifty-three years, another friend has crossed the Canada-U.S. border weekly in order to preach the gospel to “down and outs” at a rescue center in Detroit. Another friend, well past retirement from his legal career, along with his wife, spends his life preaching the gospel in the prisons of England.
There is neither time nor space list all the examples of faith than I have known, and you could add many more to that list. But the Lord knows them all! Meanwhile, there is a challenge to us: Are we walking by faith?
In what ways are we walking by faith? Possibly we have no pressing financial concerns, but do we need to trust Him for courage to witness? to believe Him for the salvation of family and friends? to apply His grace and wisdom to deal with a difficult situation at work or in our assembly? to exercise our spiritual gift? to use our homes for His glory? Let us take Paul’s words to heart: “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him” (Col. 2:6).