The Exercises of Faith

Question: In what ways is faith exercised, and what are the works and steps of that faith in the soul?

Answer: The first exercise of faith in the lowest degree is looking up, praying, longing, and thirsting for grace. The publican did this and prayed, “God be merciful to me.” By that prayer, fully looking forward for that grace, he went out of the temple justified. This work of grace is a looking up and looking forward. “Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.” The promise of Christ to these longing, looking-forward souls is, “Blessed are the poor in Spirit. Blessed are they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness.” The Mouth of Truth says they are blessed, not they will be. One who labors in this way is practicing faith already.

The second exercise of faith is that continual wrestling work of faith. This was taking place with the Canaanitish woman when she said, “The dogs eat of the crumbs.” Prayerfully she acknowledged her unworthiness and Christ’s fullness. The Lord Jesus answered her, “Great is thy faith.” This faith, however, was not yet an appropriating, leaning, and trusting faith, for that measure of faith she did not yet have. That faith we find in father Jacob, when he said, “I will not let Thee go except Thou bless me.”

The third exercise of faith is that refuge-taking faith to God in Christ. We call that a coming to Christ. Boaz said, “The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.” It is called a turning to God in Christ, “Come unto Me and be ye saved.”

The fourth exercise of faith consists in the negotiations of a soul with Christ. “Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean.” The leper surrendered to be saved by the Lord Jesus. There the soul receives the Lord Jesus. That is the faith, “But as many as receive Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.”

The fifth exercise of faith is a leaning and trusting act of faith. This is the highest degree, from which the assurance of faith follows. We hear this of Paul, “For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.”

In all these different ways a born-again soul exercises faith in his life of grace. This is believing, and what follows is the assurance, with one more, with another less. Thereupon, as a fruit of faith, follows, “In whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.” Not many of God’s children, however, come to this height in this life.

Lambrecht Myseras was an ‘old writer’ who lived in Middelburg, Netherlands, in the early seventeen hundred. This portion has been taken from his book, The Spiritual Pilgrim.

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