The Increase In Faith

By George Müller

    How faith may be increased! God delights to increase the faith of His children. He is thus glorified before an ungodly world and the powers of darkness. The confidence of His children in times of trial, discouragement, pain and sorrow, gives great encouragement to other Christians.

    God delights that He may do good to others through them, and that they themselves, through the exercise of faith, may obtain an increase of it. For difficulties, costs, crusts, hindrances, bereavements, and losses, though we shrink from them and shrink exceedingly, are the very things God uses to develop us more and more, as the young infant has its weak limbs developed till by and by they grow to the power of a man’s. For I am not one of those who believe that we can attain to strong faith at once, any more than a weak infant can spring into manhood at once.

    Our faith, which is weak and feeble at first, is developed and strengthened more and more by use. What we have to do instead of wanting no trials before victory, no exercise for patience, is to be willing to take them from God’s hands as a means, I say, and say it deliberately. Trials, difficulties, bereavements, obstacles, necessities, are the very food of faith…

    Just as surely as we ask to have our faith strengthened, we must be willing to take from God’s hands the means for strengthening it. We must allow Him to educate us through trials and troubles. For it is through trial that faith is exercised and developed more and more.