Chairs hold me and have never collapsed – so I continue to use them, and gratefully!

I always arrive at my travel destinations, and based on thousands of experiences I believe that in general the mechanisms which control various methods of transport are safe. I trust those who have serviced these vehicles that they have done their job well, and with care and accuracy. I have faith that when I perform certain operations, my appliances will work, based on an unseen force, electricity. So far at least, my faith in them has not been disappointed. I continue to trust myself to them, and gratefully!

I have “faith” in objects seen and unseen, based on reality.

I have “faith” in myself, a realistic measure of self-belief, and based on past experience and learning, I have confidence to believe that I can achieve my goals, with hard work, perseverance, and courage.

I have “faith” in other people, all those who contribute to our well-being, individual and societal, based on my interactions with them, and I have “faith” that the ones I call friends will continue to share a mutual and reciprocal relationship of love, care, and support. I continue to interact with them – and gratefully!

Faith therefore does not stand alone - faith needs an object. Faith … in something. Faith … in someone.

And yet … is that all that faith is?

A chair may collapse under my weight, a car, boat, train, or plane may have a disastrous mechanical problem. I may suffer health issues which could cause my self-belief to falter or fail. Others may let me down or choose to become emotionally distant. 

Faith in these things is how we live, but nothing and no-one is perfect.

Is faith an irrational belief in a higher power? For some, it can be. What if that higher power is made in one’s own image …  and has all the attributes and qualities we like and want to emulate? Such faith will let us down, sooner or later.

Faith, for me, is rational belief in a perfect One who is so far above humanity that we can never know Him fully while in our human form. Our faith is based on partial knowledge, yet on our irrefutable experiences of His love, faithfulness, and guidance, on Him being who He says He is, and on the truth of His having done what He said.

It’s not the size or strength of my faith, it’s WHO MY FAITH IS IN that’s important.

Faith is trusting the One who is not visible, not man-made, not subject to human weakness, and … not distant. Waiting for us, loving us.

It’s trusting the One who knows all things – yes, about earth, science, nature, people and their relationships, hurts, griefs and pleasures. We are told that He even knows the number of the hairs on our heads, and the inner motives of our hearts! He even knows when a sparrow falls, such is His care for His creation.

It’s trusting the One who is all-powerful, can create, hold and maintain the universe – or reverse the laws of nature if He so chooses. It’s all under His ultimate control. And yes, of course there is evil, plenty of it, as man continues to choose independence from His authority and governance. For a time. All this will be dealt with, maybe soon, and a new creation established.

It’s trusting the One who is so much beyond our imagination that He can answer all our prayers simultaneously, and can plan the details of our lives, while offering us freedom to make our independent choices. He is unlimited and totally beyond the realms of time and space.

It’s trusting the One who is infinitely good, caring, loving and wise.

He promised to take me to be with Him when the time comes. I believe He will. I’m looking forward to it, not morbidly, but because I believe there will be an amazing radiance of colour and beauty, and love, peace, and fulfilment, beyond anything we can imagine.

I believe in One I can’t yet see? Absolutely. Just like electricity, and atoms, and a million other things. The evidence is sufficient, and the evidence of His love, faithfulness and guidance is more than enough.

Faith is a gift from God Himself – unmerited – and no, we can never earn it nor buy it.

Simultaneously, faith is my response to God’s gift of salvation by His Son Jesus, my choice, to be expressed in love for Him and for my neighbour.

Faith, therefore, is like a coin … with two sides. Both sides are true and right. One side shows God's gift of faith to us, and reflects who He is as the Faithful One, the other reflects our choice to follow Him and reflect to others who He is, the Faithful One.