Faith and the Word of God, by Pastor Charlie Handren

Faith and the Word of God

By Pastor Charlie

When George Müller was young in Christ, he struggled with reading the Bible on a regular basis. On the one hand, he had a hard time understanding it, and on the other hand, he had little enjoyment in it. Unfortunately, this led him to read little of the Bible and much of Christian authors. “I practically preferred, for the first four years of my divine life, the works of uninspired men to the Oracles of the living God” (Autobiography of George Müller, Westminster Literature, 21). The sad consequence of this was that he remained a babe in Christ and weak in his faith.

However, by the grace of God, Müller came to appreciate and feed on the Word of God day by day. He soon discovered that the Word of God is the food of faith, without which it shrivels and starves. Indeed, faith works by knowing the promises of God and trusting in the God of the promises in the ebb and flow of daily life. Therefore, if we neither know nor pray on the basis of the Word, we cannot exercise and grow in faith.

Therefore, Müller offers this sage advice to his readers:

Before I leave this subject, I would only add, if the reader understands very little of the Word of God, he ought to read it very much; for the Spirit explains the Word by the Word. And if he enjoys the reading of the Word little, that is just the reason why he should read it much; for the frequent reading of the Scriptures creates a delight in them, so that the more we read them, the more we desire to do so. And if the reader should be an unbeliever, I would likewise entreat him to read the Scriptures earnestly, but to ask God previously to give him a blessing. For in doing so, God may make him ‘wise unto salvation’ (2 Timothy 3:15-17). (Autobiography of George Müller, Westminster Literature, 21)

When we cherish the promises of God and trust in the God of the promises, our faith grows because our God shows his glory in the daily stuff of our lives. As Jesus said, when we abide in him and his words abide in us, we can ask whatever we wish and he will grant it (John 15:7-8). And when he does our faith prospers. Beloved, the Word of God is the food of faith, so devour it daily!

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