Brethren Gleanings on Faith

[Netchaplain]

George Muller (1805-1898) said, “Impressions have neither one thing nor the other to do with faith. Faith has to do with the Word of God. It is not impressions, strong or weak, which will make the difference. We have to do with the written Word and not ourselves or our impressions.” He also adds, “God delights to increase the faith of His children. We ought, instead of wanting no trials before victory, no exercise for patience, to be willing to take them from God’s hand as a means. I say—and say it deliberately—trials, obstacles, difficulties and sometimes defeats, are the very food of faith.”

He continues, that “Many people are willing to believe regarding those things seem probable to them. Faith had nothing to do with probabilities. The province of faith begins where probabilities cease and sight and sense fail. Appearances are not to be taken into account. The question is—whether God has spoken it in His Word.”

Alexzander R Hay (1680-1744) adds to this by saying, “Faith must be based upon certainty. There must be definite knowledge of God’s purpose and will. Without that there can be no true faith. For faith is not a force that we exercise, or a striving to believe that something shall be, thinking that if we believe hard enough it will come to pass.”

Evan Hopkins writes (1837-1918): “Faith needs facts to rest upon. Presumption can take fancy instead of fact. God in His Word reveals to us the facts with which faith has to deal.” J B Stoney’s (1814-1897) comment is, “Real faith is always increased by opposition, while false confidence is damaged and discouraged by it.” He also writes, “It is a great thing to learn faith: that is, simply depending upon God. It will comfort you much to be assured that the Lord is teaching you dependence upon Himself, and it is very remarkable that faith is necessary in everything. “The just shall live by faith,” not only in your circumstances, but in everything. I believe the Lord allows many things to happen on purpose to make us feel our need of Him. The more you find Him in your sorrows or wants, the more you will be attached to Him and drawn away from this place where the sorrows are, to Him in the place where He is.” “Set your affection on things above” (Col 3:2).

(Extracts from “The Complete Green Letters” by M J Stanford; Zondervan publishing)