Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1 NIV
My life shattered into a million pieces when I realized the man I met on a Christian dating site did not exist. He promised to fulfill all my dreams, but was an impostor who wanted money.
To escape my painful and pitiful life, I began an intensive job search. I wanted to move somewhere else, anywhere at all, as if changing my location would change my life and make me happy.
I discovered a perfect job at Duke University in North Carolina, where most of my family lives. After many emails, phone interviews, and prayers, I knew God wanted me to move from Illinois to North Carolina.
However, the process at Duke was snail-paced. I waited for a job offer, or even an in-person interview, but neither one came. Even my family was skeptical.
Several scriptures encouraged me while waiting. The biblical “people of old” in Hebrews 11 inspired me to have faith. Proverbs 3:5-6 urged me to trust in the Lord with all my heart.
God told me the job at Duke was mine, so I clung to His promise and stopped looking for other jobs. I waited, prayed, and along the way, my faith developed into trusting God would work things out for my ultimate good, no matter what happened.
But what is the difference between faith and trust? Do they mean the same thing? Or does one come before the other?
Faith is belief without proof
One definition of faith is “belief that is not based on proof.” As our key verse states, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1 NIV).
Faith makes little sense when we don’t see proof of our belief with our eyes. We don’t see God, but we see His creation and believe He loves us so much He sent His son to die in our place. A virgin birth or resurrection from the dead doesn’t make sense either. We didn’t see it, but we believe it anyway.
In my case, it made no sense to me that Duke would hire me without an in-person interview. So, I offered to come in for one, because I was in town visiting my family. The hiring manager said it was unnecessary, because I was the number one candidate for the position.
Trust is action based on faith
One definition of trust is “to rely upon or place confidence in someone or something.” Trust requires action.
For example, I see a chair and have faith it is sturdy, so I sit down. I rely on the chair to support me and trust demonstrates my faith when I actually sit in the chair.
However, we need both faith and trust. Trust is a choice to rely on God and puts our faith into practice. Trust in God grows over time.
Hebrews 11 illustrates many examples of the difference between faith and trust. Here are a few of them.
First, Noah “walked faithfully with God” (Genesis 6:9). He trusted God by taking action to build the ark as He commanded (Hebrews 11:7).
In addition, Abraham had faith when God told him to leave his home and go to an unknown land (Genesis 12:1-3). Abraham didn’t know where he was going, so he had to rely on God.
Finally, Rahab believed in God and trusted Him to save her family when she hid the messengers Joshua sent to spy out Jericho (Joshua 6:25) (Hebrews 11: 31).
Final thoughts
After nine long months of waiting to hear from Duke, a friend suggested I call the hiring manager one more time. And I did. A week later, I got the job offer. It’s amazing I landed my dream job without an in-person interview. Of course, it was God’s plan all along.
God used my disappointment and painful online dating experience to accomplish His plan for my move to North Carolina. I trusted His plan was better than mine by waiting patiently for my dream job and overcoming fears of moving to a new city.
Is God prompting you to do something? A new ministry opportunity? A new job or a move to a different city? Perhaps to ask your neighbor to share a meal or attend church with you? Do you have faith to trust God’s plan and take action?
Jesus said, “if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20 ESV). So remember, trusting God only takes a tiny amount of faith when we depend on the power of the Holy Spirit!
