Importance of knowing “that our faith is weak”

As much as we believers might hide it, we do get overwhelmed at times. Sometimes the doubts and the questions get so loud that we might almost put our hands over our ears, trying to keep from hearing the fear and uncertainty in our own hearts. … As surprising as it might seem, in a sermon about Job’s time of questioning, George MacDonald tells us that doubting of faith is essential for a believer, that it must “precede every deeper assurance.” “To know that our faith is weak,” he wrote, “is the first step towards its strengthening” (“The Voice of Job” Unspoken Sermons). … Being a Christian isn’t about confidence in ourselves and what we believe. The strength that the saints and mystics discovered lies in self-abandonment, not self-esteem. As Brother Lawrence wrote, “The greatest glory we can give to God is to distrust our own strength utterly, and to commit ourselves wholly to His safekeeping” (The Practice of the Present of God, 118). (Drawn from Living Strong, chapter 54, ©️ 2014)