When we wrestle with doubts, we should remind ourselves of this precious truth: it’s not the strength of our faith that ultimately matters, but the object of our faith.
In fact, the Bible does not focus very often on the size of a believer’s faith, but rather on the object of their faith. The Bible tells us, after all, that even when our faith is weak God can still do great things. Your faith may be small, friends, but God can still do great things.
Even our faith itself is a gift of God, as Paul says:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." - Ephesians 2:8-9
God’s actions are not based on the quality or degree of our faith. He works according to His will with even the smallest amount of faith, sometimes even in the absence of faith he works. For example, we see this play out when we read about Jesus’ stilling of the storm on the Sea of Galilee in Matthew 8:23-27
And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, oh you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”
Focusing on the faith we have can easily lead us to having a wrong view of it's purpose. This can result in faith becoming a means of controlling God or of using Him to get what we really want. Such a view manipulates God and leads us to believe that we can bind Him to our will and demands. Of course, this completely misses the point of faith.
Our belief in God’s power is like the act of stepping onto an airplane. We may have uncertainties. We don’t understand how it all works. But we trust it with our lives. The Bible is clear: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).
As we battle doubts throughout our lives, the knowledge of Christ’s certain power frees us to take our eyes off ourselves. Confessing our lack of faith, we cling to the sure and certain promise of his finished work on our behalf. Charles Spurgeon once said, the power to deliver us “is not in the faith but in the God in whom faith relies.” Just as the airplane carries us, so Jesus carries us no matter what we face along the way.
Do not focus on your faith. You will never find the confidence you seek that way. After all, how much faith is enough faith? How do you know the quality or degree or depth of your faith? Where can you look to find confidence? Not in your faith, but in the object of your faith. Look to God. Trust that even when your faith is small He can still act. He does not need our tiny faith to give Him permission to display His grace, mercy, and power.
This isn't to say that our faith is irrelevant or not important, but it shouldn't be the focus of our attention. What we focus our eyes towards is a great God who can work even when our faith is small.
It's like Tim Keller once said: "It is not the size of your faith, but the object of your faith that matters."