When You Are Low In Faith

Faith in God is an important aspect of our walk with Christ. Faith itself provides an entryway for God to do exceedingly and abundantly above anything we could ever ask or imagine. Throughout scripture, we see many instances where Jesus said to those who came to be healed, delivered and set free from all types of bondage that “By your faith” it is done or “Your faith” has healed you (Mark 5:34, Matthew 9:29, Luke 18:4). However, there are instances where our faith can be low when things that happen (or don’t happen) in our lives make us question God’s promises. Let us explore what it means to be low in faith and what we can do when we find ourselves in such moments.

Life is full of ups and downs. Not too long ago, I found myself in a space of disappointment and doubt. I wanted to believe that God would do what He said He would do, but I struggled. Have you ever found yourself in a similar situation? Firstly, I want you to understand that being low in faith is not something to beat yourself about or to be ashamed of.

There are many examples of people who wrestled with their faith in the Bible. For example, Elijah was a great prophet acting on God’s orders, but we also see him in 1 Kings 19 running for his life. We see him in verse 3 praying to die as he lacked the faith to believe that he was good enough to complete that which God wanted to be done because he believed he was the only faithful prophet left. However, even in this moment of low faith, God still cared for him, provided him with food, appeared to him and laid out a new mission for him to anoint Elisha as his successor. Similarly, with Gideon leading the Israelites as they came up against the Midianites, we can see that his faith was weak initially. He even asked God to show him many signs to confirm that He was genuinely present and would do what He said He would do (Judges 6:17, 36-40, NIV). In the end, Gideon successfully overcame the large army of approximately 135000 with just 300 men (Judges 8:10, NIV). These examples show that it is not unusual to be in moments of low faith, and even in those moments, God can show up and guide our path to the new thing He is doing. This is the great confidence we should have, but it is hard to feel this way when you are low in faith. So how do we deal with it?

One thing to highlight specifically is that even when these men found themselves with low faith or doubt, they still opened themselves to communicate with God about exactly how they were feeling. There was a dialogue taking place. Sometimes, when we feel low in faith, the last thing we feel like doing is reading the Bible or speaking to God. Maybe we think God is not interested or that He does not care about how we truly feel. When we are low in faith, the first thing we have to do is acknowledge and be honest to God about it. The truth is, God knows what we feel even before we tell Him, so why do we not just be honest and ask for His help? See how much God knows us to the point where it is written in His word, that even if your faith is as little as a mustard seed, you can say to a mountain move and it shall move (Matthew 17:20, NIV). Do you know how small a mustard seed is? Very tiny, which I honestly believe signifies that God knows that there will be times where our faith will be shallow. Nevertheless, in our mustard seed faith, things can still move, things can still change, things can still happen. So, invite God in and remember that God is a God of compassion.

What is important to note is that our response to these low moments of faith is most crucial to finding our way back. We read about King David, well-known as a man after God’s heart, but he too wrestled with his faith. As an example, when we look at Psalm 13, we can see that David appears to be greatly discouraged and in despair. He feels as if God abandoned and forgot him leaving him at the mercy of his enemies (Psalm 13:1-2, NIV). But look at how the chapter ends “But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.” (Psalm 13:5-6, NIV). Here David appears low in faith, he complained and expressed his sorrows to God, but his response was faith even when he may not have felt it. So, what does this mean? Even when we feel low in faith, we can choose to still respond in faith. How do we do that? Let me share with you some steps I took which may help inspire you to do the same whenever you feel low in faith.

The first thing I had to do aside from acknowledging how I felt to God was to plug myself into the atmosphere of faith. Your words create an atmosphere of faith; what you consume in those moments can create an atmosphere of faith. So even if you do not feel it from within you, you can create it around you and soon enough, what is around you will flow into you. Even when you do not feel like it, being low in faith is when you need to be in the atmosphere of faith in God’s word even more. Do not let the enemy trick you into saying that “God will understand”. This is not about God understanding; this is about taking active steps to ensure that you get back on track and do not find yourself in a downward spiral. An atmosphere of faith can be created through worship, listening to sermons, gathering with other brethren or intentional bible study. 

Lastly, when you find yourself in a space where you are low in faith, I want you to “borrow faith” from your faith network. You should feel comfortable being vulnerable around individuals who are close to you. Let them know exactly how you are feeling and ask them to pray for you. Sometimes when we do not have the strength to believe or don’t have faith, we can “borrow the faith” of others to help see us through. As believers, we are meant to carry each other’s burdens, and I believe that sometimes that looks like having faith for someone else who lacks faith in a moment. There is nothing more powerful than when someone can fight for you in the spirit through their prayers and application of their faith. 

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2, NIV

Being low in faith can occur in any believer’s life. After all, we are human. But when we find ourselves in such situations, we need to ensure that we do what we can to get our way back. It is not a time to “take a break” from God and things of God, but it is the time to push yourself to draw nearer. There is a reason Jesus admonished the disciples to watch and pray, as the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26: 40-41). We need to tap into the part of us that resides in each of us as believers; the spirit of the living God resides in us and is enough to get us back on our feet. As we approach the end of 2021, it is a time of reflection, and for many of us, we may feel like there are things that we wish we could have achieved or that we believed God for, but it did not happen. Things like this can produce low faith. However, I want to encourage you today that God is still good. Do not let the enemy cause you to crossover into 2022 in low spirit. This is the time to work your mustard seed faith, ensure you plug yourself into the right atmosphere and ask God for help. “Borrow faith” from others and connect with your faith network to help you push forward and continue believing God for greater things ahead. One thing is sure, God is not finished with you, and He will undoubtedly complete what He started.

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