Special Tests for Special Purposes – Part 5

Faith leading to obedience is the first stage but the process is not complete until faith had developed into trust. What is the difference between faith and trust? A non-theological answer would be: faith is an act and trust is an attitude. A clear illustration of the difference between faith as an act and trust as an attitude is provided in Psalms 37:5, “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will act.”

Commit describes a single act of faith; trust describes a continuing attitude that follows the initial act of committing. After that, God takes over and He will do it. A simple illustration would be making a deposit in a savings bank. You hand your money to the teller and receive a receipt that is committing. After that, you do not lie awake at night wondering, is the bank really taking care of my money? Am I receiving the interest due to me? You just put your receipt into a safe place and sleep soundly. That is trust.

Many Christians take the first step, an act of faith but do not maintain an attitude of trust. Strangely, many of us find it easier to trust an earthly bank than to trust God in Heaven. A primary purpose behind God’s tests is to produce trust in us. This was true of Job. In the midst of all his trails he affirmed: “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” (Job 13:15 – NKJV)