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Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land,
And feed on his faithfulness.

—Psalm 37:3

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For those of you who’ve been praying for us, thank you. My wife’s dad passed on July 25. He’s now free from pain in his Father’s presence, and in that truth we find comfort within our loss.

As I’ve prayed for you today, asking God what I should share, I keep sensing that I need to offer some words on faith and faithfulness.

Scripture tells us that without faith it’s impossible to please God, and the Bible often places faith at the center of effective prayer. When we read these passages, it’s tempting to grit our teeth and just look at faith as another thing we need to build, develop, or master.

But that’s not how faith works. It’s less about our performance and more about receiving from the Father.

According to Paul, faith is of the eternal sort, along with hope and love, which means it always holds something new for us to discover and enjoy. There’s a playfulness to faith, and it has a way of breaking our rules of how the world should work. I guess that’s part of the reason why it belongs to the childlike.

Response

To put it simply, we grow in faith, whether that’s in prayer or any other matter, as we “feed on God’s faithfulness.” When it comes to faith, God makes the first move, lays the foundation, and writes the opening chapter (you get the idea). We become people of great faith as we learn to trust, often through pain and doubt, God’s faithful work.

I want to challenge you this week to feed on God’s faithfulness. The Hebrew word for “feed” could also be translated graze or drive to pasture, so ask Jesus to shepherd you into the fields of His faithfulness. Ask for eyes to see and receive what you haven’t known before. Ask for the strength to dwell and enjoy.

Closing Thoughts

Jesus compared a small measure of faith to a mustard seed. The simile was less about the size, though, and more about the process of faith. While it may start small, like a mustard tree, its relentless roots will eventually break those rocky places in our lives—and what was once unseen will become a source of life and sustenance to many.

Praying with you,

Addison

P.S. If you’re new to this crew, welcome! And if you don’t have your Words with God book yet, just click here to start your journey. It’s available as an ebook, audiobook, or a book you can hold.