I had a dream once about God. He was sitting at the head of a conference table talking about me to his angels. Suddenly he got a sad look on his face. He said, “I just don’t understand why Susannah worries so much. I have always taken care of her. She has always had a roof over her head and food to eat. I have always comforted her during a time of crisis. Why does she still worry so much? You would think that she would have more faith in me.”
I woke up and felt guilty. After that I tried to worry less and internalize my faith more deeply.
Faith is a mysterious emotion. It is kind of like confidence. We feel intuitively during a crisis that everything will work itself out in the end. It is kind of like serenity. We feel peaceful. It is kind of like intimacy. We feel close to God. It is kind of like humility. We feel frail next to the power of God. It is kind of like awe. We feel such admiration for God. It is kind of like awareness. We feel the truth deep in our soul. It is kind of like joy. We are so happy to be loved. Faith is like all these things. But it is still mysterious.
How do you get faith? It is a gift. You ask for it and then act “as if” you have it. It comes to you the size of an acorn and grows into a great tree draping its branches around your life. If it fades away, you set aside everything you are doing to find it and bring it back into your life.
What do you do with faith? You enjoy it and you share it with others. You guard it carefully. It is your most valuable possession. When others are in trouble, who have less faith than you, you bolster them up with affirmations. You tell them how time and time again God has seen you through a crisis. You share with them how everything good in your life has come from God. Then you stand in for God. You act as an emissary and help these people in any way you can. When you part, you don’t say, “I love you,” you say, “God loves you. Have faith in him.”
When you pray, pray for faith. Everything else is in God’s hands. He will decide what is best for you. He will determine how long you are to suffer. He will determine the source of all your income. He will put the right people in your life and take the wrong ones out. If you attempt to do this yourself, you will make mistakes. Let God do it all. Just ask for faith so that you can relax while God is controlling your life.
As you grow old, thank God for your faith. So many people suffer because they do not have it. Have compassion for these people and praise the Lord for blessing you.