I used to think the kind of faith that God loved was the kind that never doubted, never questioned, never wavered. The kind that could recite Scripture confidently, always knew the correct answer, and never felt afraid or confused. I thought faith was about certainty, about having it all figured out. I often compared my faith to others, thinking I had too little, while they had so much.
But the faith that God loves is much messier than we often imagine. It's the kind of faith that shows up even when it's shaking, asks questions even when it's afraid of the answers, and keeps going even when it can't see the path ahead. It's not a faith that has all the answers—it's the faith that keeps asking questions in the midst of it. But above all, it’s a faith that knows Jesus is the only one who can save, help, deliver, and heal.
God Loves Faith That “Doubts”
Think about Abraham. He is the father of our faith, but his story is marked by uncertainty, imperfection, and sin. When God called him to leave everything he knew for a destination he couldn't see, Abraham went anyway. But in that, he also lied about his wife being his sister (twice), tried to fulfill God's promise through his schemes, and laughed at God's promise of a son in his old age.
His wasn't perfect faith—it was real faith. It struggled, questioned, and sometimes failed, but ultimately trusted God enough to keep moving forward, keep following, and keep believing. Abraham's faith wasn't about certainty but obedience and trust in uncertainty.
I'm often tempted to believe that genuine faith means never having doubts. So, I appreciate that Abraham's faith was messy, imperfect, and sometimes blatantly wrong. But it was also persistent, trusting, and ultimately willing to follow God anywhere.
Honestly, some of the most faithful people in Scripture were also the most questioning. Job demanded answers from God. David complained regularly. Jeremiah accused God of deceiving him. Habakkuk asked why God was silent in the face of injustice.
These weren't failures of faith—they were rich expressions of it.
The faith that God loves is a faith that believes questions are a form of worship, a faith that brings doubts to God rather than trying to resolve them on our own.
In fact, this is one of the most liberating things about faith: it doesn't require the absence of doubt or questions. It means showing up despite these things. Just as courage isn't the absence of fear, it's action in the presence of fear, faith isn't the absence of doubt.
I write about this story in many of my books, but I often think about the disciples in the storm on the Sea of Galilee. They were terrified, literally convinced they were going to die. Their faith didn't prevent them from being afraid! But it did something even more powerful—it led them to run to Jesus. They didn't have it all figured out, but they knew exactly who to turn to when they were scared.
Or consider Peter walking on water. His faith didn't prevent him from sinking when he looked at the waves—but it did cause him to cry out to Jesus for help.
Again, I take so much comfort in the fact that scripture is full of imperfect people with imperfect faith whom God used in extraordinary ways. Moses was a murderer and a reluctant leader. David was an adulterer and a poor father. Peter was impulsive and prone to putting his foot in his mouth. Paul was a former persecutor of Christians.
None of these men had perfect faith, but they all had persistent faith. They had faithful faith. They kept showing up, kept trusting, kept following God even when they messed up.
This gives me hope and comfort on the days when my faith feels small and inadequate. I don't have to have it all figured out to please God. I don't have to stop questioning God to prove my faith to God. I just have to keep showing up, keep trusting, keep following Him even when the path isn't clear. And when I can’t? The Holy Spirit is there to help, guide, and draw me back. We don’t have to have faith on our own - God’s Spirit will embolden our faith, as we lean on him.
God Loves Faith That Embraces Mystery
The faith that God loves is also comfortable with mystery. It doesn't need to understand everything to trust the One who does. It can live with unanswered questions, unresolved tensions, and incomplete understanding.
This is perhaps the most challenging part of faith for those who like to have everything figured out. We want to understand God's ways, predict His actions, and make sense of His timing. But faith often requires us to trust when we can't understand, believe when we can't see, and hope when we can't feel.
Some of the most profound moments of our faith happen not when everything becomes clear, but when we choose to trust God in confusion. When we say, "I don't understand this, but I trust You anyway."
God Loves Faith That Persists
Perhaps the most important characteristic of the faith that God loves is persistence. It’s a faith that keeps returning to Jesus, even in failure. It's a faith that keeps seeking answers, keeps knocking on God’s door. It's a faith that keeps choosing to trust. It’s the faith Jesus taught the disciples to have—a faith that prays with shameless audacity, tireless tenacity.
It’s the faith of the woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. She had spent everything she had seeking healing, and nothing had worked. But when she heard about Jesus, she pushed through the crowd, risked public shame, and reached out to touch his cloak. Her faith was borne from desperation—and a powerful trust that this man, Jesus, was able.
That's the kind of faith that moves Jesus. A faith keeps reaching out even when it doesn't understand. The faith that says, "I don't know what else to do, but I know You do."
God Loves Faith That Transforms
The faith that God loves isn't just about believing the right things, it’s not about mental assent—it's about being transformed by what God’s presence, the Holy Spirit. It's faith that allows God to change how we live, how we love, how we respond to difficulty. It's faith that makes us more like Jesus, not just more knowledgeable about Him. It’s not just faith in Jesus; it the faith of Jesus at work in us.
This kind of faith doesn't happen overnight. It's formed through seasons of testing, trials, grief, loss, answered and unanswered prayers, moments of clarity, periods of confusion, risks, and trust. It's developed through a long-term relationship with God.
On a personal note, I tend to be drawn to people with what I call a gravitas kind of faith – they have not had the easiest lives; they have borne pain. Yet, they have a resilient faith I admire (and a faith God loves!), because they have discovered God’s faithfulness amid their struggles. Over the years, they have found His grace sufficient for their weaknesses. They have stayed faithful to God through the darkest valleys and found that it’s been his faith carrying them all along.
The faith that God loves is the faith that keeps showing up. The faith asks questions and trusts the One who has the answers. It's the faith that believes Jesus can do what he promises. It’s a faith that feels afraid but acts anyway.
It's the faith that doubts but keeps believing. It’s the faith that says, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.”
It's not the faith that has it all figured out—it's the faith that trusts the One who does.
Reflection Questions
- When has your faith felt most "messy" or imperfect, and how did God meet you in that season?
- Consider a time when you struggled with doubt, asked difficult questions, or felt uncertain about God's presence or purposes. How did that experience shape your understanding of what authentic faith looks like?
- What questions about faith or God are you currently wrestling with, and how might bringing those questions directly to God in prayer deepen your relationship with Him?
- How has your understanding of faith changed from when you first became a Christian to now?
- What would it mean for you to embrace the kind of faith that God loves?
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/ Austin Kehmeier
