Page 82 - The Divine Quest

The Divine Quest Page 79

of faith is a good gift, it must come from God, and therefore He ought to be asked for
the blessing. But, in addition, he recommended four steps which those who wished
to see their faith increased could take to help the process along.

First, he advised ‘the careful reading of the word of God, combined with meditation
on it.’ This, he said, is how the believer learns more of the nature and character of
God and ‘thus sees more and more, besides His holiness and justice, what a kind,
loving, gracious, merciful, mighty, wise and faithful being He is’, and therefore when
difficulties arise ‘will repose upon the ability of God to help him’, having ‘seen
instance upon instance in the Holy Scriptures in which His almighty power and
infinite wisdom have been actually exercised in helping and delivering His people;
and he will repose upon the willingness of God to help him, because he has not
only learned from the Scriptures what a kind, good, merciful, gracious and faithful
being God is, but because he has also seen in the word of God, how in a great variety
of instances He has proved Himself to be so.’

Secondly, he warned that ‘it is of the utmost importance that we seek to maintain an
upright heart and a good conscience, and, therefore, do not knowingly and habitually
indulge in those things that are contrary to the mind of God... All my confidence
towards God, all my leaning upon Him in the hour of trial will be gone, if I have a
guilty conscience, and do not seek to put away this guilty conscience, but still
continue to do things which are contrary to the mind of God. And if, in any particular
instance, I cannot trust in God, because of the guilty conscience, then my faith is
weakened by that instance of distrust; for faith with every fresh trial of it either
increases by trusting God, and thus getting help, or it decreases by not trusting Him;
and then there is less power of looking simply and directly to Him, and a habit of
self-dependence is begotten and encouraged.’

Thirdly, he advised those who wanted their faith increased not to shrink from
situations where their faith might be tested and thus strengthened. ‘In our natural
state we dislike dealing with God alone... This cleaves to us, more or less, even after
our regeneration. Hence it is, that, more or less, even as believers, we have the same
shrinking from standing with God alone - from depending on God alone - from
looking to Him alone - and yet this is the very position in which we ought to be, if we
wish our faith to be strengthened.’ It is in trying situations, depending on God alone,
that Muller said the believer ‘may see the hand of God stretched out on his behalf.’

Finally, Muller said it is important that ‘we let God work for us, when the hour of the
trial of our faith comes, and do not do a work of deliverance of our own... However
weak our faith may be, God will try it; only with this restriction, that as, in every way,
He leads on gently, gradually, patiently, so as with reference to the trial of our faith...
God never lays more upon us that He is willing to enable us to bear. Now when the