Isaac’s trust and faith in Abraham
When Isaac asked his father, Abraham, “Where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son,” and Isaac just trusted and put his faith in his father. He did not even complain that his father lied to him when Abraham was about to slay him.
As the angel of the Lord stopped Abraham from slaying Issac, God provided a ram for the burnt offering. Isaac’s trust and faith in his father, Abraham, links to Jesus’ trust and faith in His Father, God.
The angel’s command and warning about Abraham’s slaying action to Isaac indicate that it was just Abraham’s test of his faith in God. However, God’s sending His Son, Jesus, into the world to be sacrificed for human beings happened in reality.
Jesus’ trust and faith in God
Jesus was in anguish with suffering, but He did not complain and willingly accepted God’s will. For example, Jesus prayed in anguish to His Father and requested that His crucifixion be removed, but He also said that God’s will is to be done. God’s will for Jesus is sacrificing Himself for humanity.
As Jesus was on the cross, He asked His Father why He had forsaken him, but He also requested that human beings' sins be forgiven, which is the whole point of His sacrifice.
Overall, Isaac and Jesus trusted their Fathers completely.
Childlike trust and faith
When parents were trying to bring their children to Jesus, and His disciples rebuked them, Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly, I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” (Luke chapter 18, verses 16-17)
Since parents are older than children, children often trust and put faith in their parents to do things properly until they become mature enough on their own. Parents experience many more things than children.
Likewise, believers need to wholeheartedly put their faith in God as they become His children once they surrender their lives to Jesus (John chapter 1, verses 12-13).
To put faith in God, believers are required to trust in Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. Trusting in Jesus as their Lord and Saviour in their entire devotion allows them to know and believe in God since Jesus is God in human form (John chapter 14, verses 7).
Although trust and faith have very similar meanings, they go together. According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, two definitions of trust are “assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something” and “belief that someone or something is reliable, good, honest, effective, etc.”
Hebrews chapter 11, verse 1 states, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
Therefore, since faith is confidently hoping something or someone is accurate and trust is assured reliance on something or someone, trust can demonstrate faith. The outcome of trust depends on faith and deed.
For example, I have faith that I can spread the good news of Christ by writing, and it is according to my trust that I can spread the good news of Christ by writing, as I have inspired many people through Christian writing.
Another example is I am trusting that I will graduate with a Bachelor of Applied Theology in 2025, even if I have to do level seven biblical and theological courses. In other words, I have faith that I will graduate with a Bachelor of Applied Theology in 2025, even though biblical and theological studies are challenging,
Since I have been doing these since July 2016 and passing all of them, I am willing to continue doing theological and biblical courses until the maximum level I can reach.
If we know we are God’s children and Jesus’ followers, then our faith and trust in God through Jesus should work simultaneously. In Proverbs chapter 3, verses 3-4, and Hebrews chapter 11, verse 6, we read that the outcome of believers’ faithfulness is winning God’s favour and pleasing Him.
Moreover, believers’ trust, even if it is not according to how they understand God, is that He will align their path (Proverbs chapter 3, verses 5-6). Even if God does not align their paths, they will win God’s favour as faithfulness pleases Him.
A great example is the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Daniel chapter 3. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were faithful believers. However, since they worshipped and served God, instead of the golden image King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, they were thrown into a blazing furnace (Daniel chapter 3, verses 19-23).
They had faith that God would save them. Even if He did not, they would still worship God. King Nebuchadnezzar’s amazement motivated him to praise God and promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
The story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego illustrates that Christian life is challenging but rewarding (Matthew chapter 7, verses 13-14). Believers have to resist temptations and are called to be faithful followers of Christ.
Eternal life and the gift of the Holy Spirit are two primary Christian rewards in today’s context (Ephesians chapter 1, verses 3-14).