How do you have faith in something you can't see? We live in a world where people want to see. We are so dominated by our physical sight, that if we can’t see something, we don’t believe that it exists. This is not how to have faith.
I encounter this regularly with people who haven’t experienced energy medicine. They think it’s odd or strange or even a complete farce, simply because they cannot see the energy I work with.
However, those who have faith can see these energies.
When you have faith, you can see many things that you couldn't otherwise.
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This lack of vision on our part severely restricts us as we move through life. The first step in achieving any goal, or in receiving any blessing, or in getting an answer to a prayer, is to have faith.
Faith requires that we see the thing we desire in our minds before we see it with our physical eyes. Once we have faith, we can see. Our spiritual eyes are open, and we become attuned to the things we are seeking.
What is faith?
Faith is the ability to see something in our minds first, before we see it in our physical world. We must believe first, and then we will see.
Hebrews 11:1 gives a great definition of faith: “To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see.”
Creating that vision or having the ability to see that something can be better is the first step in achieving your goals.
How to have faith: quitting school and moving
Let’s start with a story that illustrates what it looks like to have faith (from The Priesthood Power of Women, by Barbara Morgan Gardner).
A woman was pregnant with her 6th child. She was extremely weak, because each pregnancy was difficult and she eventually had to be put on bed rest. Her husband was in graduate school at this time, and she was working as a teacher.
They decided that it would be best for him to quit school and for her to quit her job. They would move halfway across the country to be with her parents so she could get help.
Not having enough money for everyone to fly, and knowing it would be dangerous for his wife to be in a car for such a long trip, the sold everything they had. This gave them the money they needed so that mom and her toddler could fly.
Her husband had only 35 cents left, and she left without extra money, food, or diapers. Bad weather meant the flight had to land en route.
With the help of a stranger, she was able to get on the next flight out and made it to their new town. Her husband made the 24 hour plus drive with their other 4 children, and they were able to get the help they needed from her family.
When I first heard this story, tears came to my eyes. What an incredible story of faith!
This was a faithful family who surely prayed much to know what to do. They made the major and I imagine difficult decisions to uproot their family, leave school and work, and sell everything they had.
Faith in action
When we have faith, we take action, not knowing for sure how things will turn out. We take action not knowing what the final results will be. We don’t know how long it will take to get the promised result, or what the journey will entail.
Yet when we have faith, we are “certain of things we cannot see.” We know in our hearts that things will work out. We’re not guaranteed that things will be easy or that they won’t hurt. But we are promised that, in the end, all will be well.
We are “sure of the things we hope for.”
This family made this move with the hope, founded in Jesus Christ, that their child would be born healthy. They had hope that they were doing what the Lord wanted them to do, and that they were being guided to act in a way that would bless them.
How to have faith: pursuing your purpose in life
Are you doing the work the Lord would have you do? Have you ever even thought that He has a plan for you?
Here's another story that shows how to have faith.
In 2012, I was finishing my Ph.D. I moved by myself from MA to IA to start teaching in a doctorate of physical therapy program.
That move itself was one of faith. I prayed to know where to apply and where to go. The Midwest was the last place I wanted to be! And yet here I was.
The job was perfect. I had a great balance of teaching and research, wonderful colleagues, and motivated students. I assumed I would stay at this school for many years.
Much to my surprise, a few years into teaching, I realized I wasn’t happy. I didn’t feel fulfilled. I felt that I was doing good work in the world, yet there was this little feeling that there was something more I was meant to do.
As I prayed and pondered, and talked about it with my husband, I finally took my question to the Lord. I asked God what he would have me do.
The answer was completely unexpected, but also unmistakable: quit your job. What? My job gave us added security. It gave us our retirement plan. It provided our health insurance. Quit my job? And do what? That part didn’t come right away.
But since I had asked, and had gotten an answer, I acted in faith. I resigned from my job after only 3 years.
Having faith doesn't always require big moves or changes in your life. It might be something as simple as being kinder to your difficult co-worker. Perhaps you can show faith by giving up your nightly TV habit and doing something with family or friends instead.
We all have areas in our lives where we can show more faith. It doesn't have to be complicated.
A 5 step process for having faith
What do you hope for in your life? What yearning do you feel in your heart? What is the little voice inside whispering to you?
When we following our inner voice, and pray, and ask the Lord, he will answer.
When God answers our prayers, we must act.
This is the part that is often missing with faith.
Here is a summary of the basic steps for how to have faith:
- we desire something and we have a vision of something in our minds
- we have hope in Christ that what we desire will happen
- we pray and ask for guidance
- we get an answer to that prayer to confirm that our choice is right for us
- we act
The number of times we act depends on the vision. I had to take the first step by quitting my job. The couple also had to take the first action of quitting school and her job.
Often there are multiple steps. Sometimes it's the same step, but it must be repeated over and over.
Conclusion
What do you desire in your life? What do you think the Lord desires for you?
Whether you need help with something big or a small, daily desire – ask.
Pray and ask for help. Ask what you should do. Ask how you can bless others.
The Lord will answer, and your responsibility is then to act.
As you have hope for the thing you cannot yet see physically, and act in faith, that thing will surely come to pass. That is the promise the Lord makes to us again and again. Act in faith, and you will receive!
Having faith will be a blessing in your life
- In developing your goals and seeking for blessings, imagine that what you desire is already here in the physical world
- Pray and ask for guidance
- Take action! You may feel scared and unsure, but take action anyway. God will help you as you move in
What is the most difficult step for you in having faith?
