Faith and Doubt

C. Michael Patton from Reclaiming the Mind has great post about trusting in God. He contrast two kinds of people facing "Goliath" situations. There are those like David facing Goliath who express faith that God will lead them victoriously through the situation. Then there are those that express faith in the way the three Hebrew men from Daniel 3:13-15 faced the king of Babylon who threatened them with a fiery death if the did not worship his idol. They believed God was able to deliver them but even if He chose not to, they would still follow Him.

Patton concludes with this thought:

I don’t want to be unduly pessimistic about any issue knowing that God can and does intervene and deliver people from their “Goliaths.” But I also want to be realistic and trust God no matter what the prospects are for the outcome of any “Goliath” situation. I believe that this attitude expresses just as much faith, even if it lacks certainty.

Remember, God has made a lot of promises, but there are also a lot of promises that he has not made. Don’t read promises into Scripture. Try saying this next time Goliath is at your door, “If it be so, God can deliver me, but even if you strike me dead, I will not abandon my faith because I will not place my faith in something God has not promised." You may raise some eyebrows, but you will be representing truth much more faithfully.

In the end, I don’t trust God for promises he has not made.