The Difference between Faith and Trust

The Difference between Faith and Trust.  Timothy, Titus and Caleb.

About four o’clock one morning this week, I stumbled onto a man named Caleb, who is my new role model.  (Four o’clock in the morning—what is that about? Seems I have had a lot on my mind, and I have a rather hard time confining my thinking to daylight hours.  I believe God has led me to ‘pass the baton’ for Fellowship of Christian Athletes to a great young man- a lacrosse coach, and all-around good guy, BUT … my heart hurts, knowing that my work with the students and athletes at San Clemente High School is coming to a close.  So, this week as I awakened in the wee hours, my mind going to work, sleep a lost cause – well, the rest of me might as well get up and cooperate with my mind!  So, it was about 4 am when I encountered my new role model, and I am smitten with him.)

The man I stumbled upon was Caleb.  Do you remember hearing about him, a contemporary of Joshua in the Old Bible (as my mama called it)?  I am quite taken with him, and what he stood for, and am confident he and Titus are really good friends in Heaven.    Picture them recounting adventures, describing their experiences—one in the Old Testament, the other of course, in the New; surely God cut Caleb and Titus out of the same mold.  Faithful, reliable, tenacious, ALL IN, gutsy, and in for the long haul ~ both of them. 

Why is Caleb my new role model?

Caleb did not just have faith in God, he believed him, and he trusted him.

Aye, Caleb did not just say he had faith in God, without that faith translating into action.

Here’s the thing – while Christians place their faith in God, I am convinced that not too many really trust him. 

And there is a tremendous difference in the lives of those who truly trust that God is good, not just great, that he can indeed be trusted . . . in short, in those who wholly follow the Lord.  Interacting with so many—on an international basis—it sure seems to me that while most Christians have faith in God, they just don’t fully trust him, nor do they wholly entrust themselves to him.

Enter Caleb. Indulge me a moment while I refresh your minds about this remarkable man.  He was an Israelite who had been born a slave in Egypt, until God delivered his people through Moses (after 400 years of captivity).  Remember God told Moses to go to Pharaoh and say, ‘let my people go!’  Eventually, Pharaoh did, after much drama and trauma, all the while the backbone of one most influential leader —Moses- was being strengthened.  But then Pharaoh and his army pursued the Israelites up to the shores of the Red Sea, where they would have been slaughtered had the Lord not miraculously parted the waters so they could cross on dry land, and then … God closed up the waters again, drowning the Egyptians.  Caleb never forgot that.  Caleb remembered God’s faithfulness.

God faithfully provided for the Israelites while they were in the desert 40 long years.  Caleb never forgot that.  Caleb remembered God’s faithfulness.

And then, Moses records in Deuteronomy that at a particular time, God told the people to ‘go and possess the land he had promised them’.¹

God told them to immediately go and possess the land², but the people wanted to first send in spies to look over the area so they could come back and plan their strategy. So they sent in the spies—one from each of the tribes of Israel-- who were in the land for forty days.

Caleb was one of the twelve spies, along with Joshua.  Of the twelve men who spied out Canaan, Joshua and Caleb were the only two who brought back a good report [because they trusted God!!]  ‘Caleb said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” He said that because Caleb believed God when he said he had given them the land … Caleb did not just have faith in God, he trusted God because he remembered how God had been faithful in the past. 

On the other hand, the 10 remaining spies were moved to fear and doubt because they saw what was impossible for man, and forgot what was more-than-possible for God, particularly a God who had already promised them the land.

Think of it—all twelve spies had the same background—captivity in Egypt, release from captivity, Red Sea crossing, desert provision … yet only two believed.  The majority wanted to forego Paradise, they wanted to forego God’s best, and that which he had promised … Be careful of following the majority.  On the other hand Joshua and Caleb through Eyes of Faith saw no reason to delay but to immediately go and take the land.

          The choice:  see with eyes of faith what may seem impossible for you . . .

or see with finite eyes what is possible for you only to accomplish. 

Choose well, or you will forego the miraculous work of God.  God gives us the choice.

Sure enough, of the 12 spies, only two were able to see the Promised Land with their own eyes—Caleb and Joshua—because they had trusted God.  “Caleb wholly trusted God, and followed him…”³

The first part of my ‘smittenness’ with Caleb is obvious—he was a man who remembered the God who was faithful, and on that basis, plus God’s promise, he trusted him.  And that trust readied him for action.

Oh, this is good; it is so good, my friends.  We must not stop at a faith that involves mere mental assent!  Our faith is meaningless unless it produces the confidence in God that would cause us to act … to take on giants in the land. 

I do so love Caleb. 

Christine

PastorWoman.com