Mature Faith: Learning to Trust in Real Life
We all want unshakeable faith. But mature faith doesn’t come from a seminary classroom or simply reading about God’s faithfulness. It comes from experiencing it, especially when life gets hard.
What Mature Faith Really Looks Like
Mature faith has tasted and seen that God is good. Despite skeptics, pain, or seemingly hopeless situations, it has learned—often through hardships—that God is worthy of our faith, love, and obedience.
Despite skeptics, pain, or seemingly hopeless situations, mature faith has learned—often through hardships—that God is worthy of our faith, love, and obedience.
You might think, “I already know God’s word is true and God is faithful.” Yea. Good theology matters! But faith reveals itself and matures through crises, not just reading. There’s a difference between knowing about God’s faithfulness and knowing it down into your bones because you’ve walked through the fire with Him.
Abraham’s Growing Faith
Abraham’s story in Hebrews 11 shows how faith grows through increasingly difficult tests.
Test 1: God called Abraham to go to an unknown place. He obeyed without knowing the destination.
Test 2: After arriving in the Promised Land, Abraham lived in tents as a stranger—not the dream life Sarah might have hoped for. Yet his trust in God had grown to accept this.
Test 3: God promised Abraham a son, but decades passed with no pregnancy. The situation shifted from improbable to biologically impossible. Yet Abraham didn’t waver. He grew strong in faith, fully assured that what God promised, He would perform. And Sarah gave birth to Isaac.
Test 4: The ultimate test. God asked Abraham to offer Isaac as a sacrifice—his only son, his promised son, the one he’d waited decades for. Abraham could have cried foul, accused God of going back on his promise, or even of blatant cruelty. Instead, he trusted God’s character and faithfulness. Amazing. Yes, and this is God’s goal for our faith.
The next thing you read, they got up early and set out on the three-day journey. When Isaac asked where the lamb for the sacrifice was, Abraham said, “God will provide.” He didn’t know how, but he trusted God would.
Abraham’s faith was anchored in God’s character. He knew God’s goodness. He knew that God would never break a promise. So he could do whatever God told him to do. That’s not blind trust; it’s mature faith, and that’s what God wants to cultivate in each of us.
Abraham knew that God would never break a promise. So he could do whatever God told him to do. That’s not blind trust; it’s mature faith. This is what God wants to cultivate in each of us.
If you don’t know the story, when Abraham lifted the knife, God stopped him and provided a ram. See, God never wanted Isaac’s blood; He wanted Abraham’s heart.
Saying Yes in Your Real Life
Your journey looks different from Abraham’s, but the core principles remain: trusting God through trials and relying on Him even amid pain and difficulty.
Rather than fixating on your circumstances, fix your eyes on Jesus. Look at His character and the promises in His Word. Consider the cross. Consider His resurrection. Then say yes to Jesus.
In the little tests. When you’re aware of a choice to trust God, to obey His Word, or to ignore Him—say yes. “Lord, I choose You; grant me to obey.”
In the big trials. Perhaps you’re facing a huge decision, struggling with a ceaselessly challenging relationship, dealing with unanswered prayers, unwanted singleness, a stalled career, or a season where God doesn’t seem close and faith isn’t emotionally fulfilling.
Let God use these to draw you closer and deepen your trust, not damage it. Don’t bail on the tests. Trials refine faith; they don’t ruin it. The wall you’re hitting might be a door to deeper trust.
God Is Helping You Trust Him
Here’s the encouraging truth: God isn’t waiting to see if you’ll pass His tests. He’s actively helping you grow in trust. Every challenge is an opportunity for you to trust and taste His faithfulness. He’s with you in every crisis. Meet Him in it. Say yes to God—in the moment of decision, in the choice to follow Him.
Your circumstances may not change overnight, but as you keep saying yes to God, you’ll find your faith maturing. You’ll discover that God really is worthy of your trust, love, and obedience.
So keep trusting. Keep saying yes. Keep looking to Jesus.