05/06/2025
Do you have the faith to move mountains? No? I’m not sure I do either. I know Jesus tells us that if we have faith like a grain of mustard seed, we can say to a mountain, “Move,” and it will move, “and nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20).
Sometimes, however, I feel like I don’t have “super faith,” I have “good-enough faith,” and I wonder if that’s okay with God. How much faith is good enough for God to work with?
Consider the faith of Abraham. On the one hand, Abraham appeared to have super faith. “He believed the Lord, and it was counted to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6). “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8). “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son” (Hebrews 11:17).
But on the other hand, Abraham’s faith was fickle. God told Abraham that he would have a son through Sarah, his wife, and his son would be the heir to the promise that God would bless all the families of the earth (Genesis 17:16; 12:3). But after years of waiting, Abraham’s faith faltered, and he began to take matters into his own hands.
How much faith did Abraham have? Not enough to be certain. Not enough to avoid mistakes. Just enough to connect with God. Enough to obey and go when God said, “Go.” Enough to repent and get back on track with God when needed. Enough to try, to listen, to learn. Abraham had “good-enough faith.”
I love how John Ortberg puts it: “Abraham was called a friend of God—not because he believed with certainty, but because he persisted in ambiguity” (Steps, 45).
Faith does not equal certainty. Faith is developed in ambiguity. God didn’t give Abraham all the details of how His plan would unfold. He was intentionally ambiguous with Abraham. Why? Because God didn’t want someone who simply followed the rules. He wanted a friend.
If you struggle with your faith at times and feel like your faith is more of a “good-enough faith” than a “super faith,” remember Abraham. With Abraham, waiting, uncertainty, and wrong decisions were not signs of God’s absence; they were tools of His presence.
By faith, don’t expect quick.
By faith, don’t expect clear.
By faith, don’t expect easy.
Faith is a process, not a pronouncement. God can work with a “good-enough faith” because He wants to grow us, and love us, and call us friends. The next time you doubt your faith, trust that God will lead you through your ambiguity into a transformative relationship with Him.
