Faith Focus

7 Blessed is the person who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. (Jeremiah 17:7, ESV)

When Our Faith is Focused Wrong

Faith is foundational to the Christian believer’s life. And truthfully, even non-believers have faith. This is a commonality. But do you realize that believers and non-believers have a deeper commonality when it comes to faith? It’s where they focus it.

The non-believer openly focuses their faith on things not of God - such as in themselves, their status, money, or careers. However the believer can also have a similar faith focus, even while believing in God.

This shows up in how we pray, what we hope for, and our overall mindset towards matters of faith. It demonstrates an incorrect faith focus. The nuance here is slight. But very important.

To say the believer has an incorrect faith focus isn’t saying that the believer doesn’t have faith. It’s just saying it’s slightly off the mark. It’s like the pictures that are two-in-one. We look at the picture, but based on how our eyes focus determines what we see. Or, it’s like searching for the forest. We’re already in it, but can’t see it because of focusing on the trees.

To make it more concrete, an incorrect faith focus shows up when we put more belief in the thing we’re asking God for versus in God who makes the thing happen. Our prayers may reflect language that emphasizes our belief that God will heal, God will provide, God will save. But our minds are more focused on the outcome or act of the healing, the providing, and the saving.

This type of incorrect faith focus puts emphasis on the results versus on the One who makes the results happen.

When Our Faith is Focused Right

What makes addressing this nuance important is not a fear that God won’t answer our prayers when our faith is focused wrong. Because He often does. But it’s about the depth of our relationship with Him and our spiritual growth.

Honestly, a correct faith focus doesn’t remove the challenges we may experience in life. But we’re able to face them with the certainty of an everlasting and greater power working on our behalf.

The first part of verse seven says we are blessed when our trust is in the Lord. Trusting in the Lord is taking an act or posture of reliance that’s directed towards God. It means we’re making an ongoing choice to rely on Him. This is an active decision, a daily choice, a moment-by-moment resolution. We are showing a determination to trust Him.

We choose to trust Him in all matters of our lives. We might question. Feel angry, sad, despondent, and any other emotion. We might get desperate. But we choose to trust Him even in the midst of our challenges and feelings.

We trust Him with it and in it all.

The second part of verse seven makes the statement, “whose trust is the Lord”. Here is the nuance. The first part of verse seven talks about our action. This part talks about who God is to us.

When the Lord is our trust, He is fundamentally our confidence and security. This goes beyond the inner feeling of trust. It is making the Lord the object, ground, or basis of our confidence and security. Our ultimate stability is located in God’s character and covenant faithfulness.

This shapes our reality! Situations can arise that will make it appear that we are defeated, but when the Lord is our trust, it shifts the perspectives of our realities. This shift allows us to be confident, hopeful, and secure. Not only in the journey of overcoming. Not only in the victory of overcoming. But most importantly in the knowledge of who the One is who enables us overcome.

To have that knowledge, we must know God, by name, by character, and by experience.

As an incomplete list, He is…

LORD - faithful, personal, and unchanging

His Character: He keeps His promises and will always be God
Your Experience: build a personal, intimate, relationship with Him.

El Shaddai, God Almighty - all-sufficient and powerful

His Character: He’s able to do any and all things
Your Experience: yield to Him in every challenge and experience His power for yourself.

El Roi, the God who Sees - attentive, compassionate, aware

His Character: He sees us just as we are, where we are, and how we are. And he responds to what He sees.
Your Experience: ask God to see you just as you are, and experience His compassionate embrace.

Jehovah Jireh, The Lord Will Provide - has foresight and provision

His Character: He sees our needs today and tomorrow and He fulfills them.
Your Experience: when panicked over needs, take it to God and see how His foresight has already worked to provide, sometimes in unexpected or unusual ways.

Jehovah Shalom, The Lord is Peace - wholeness and peace

His Character: His presence provides peace
Your Experience: instead of waiting for peace to have peace, seek God to experience His peace in the midst of chaos and trials.

Jehovah Rohi / Ra’ah, the Lord is my Shepherd - a guide, protector, and provider

His Character: He leads, feeds, restores, and stays with us
Your Experience: rest daily in the knowledge that God walks with you throughout the day. Trust his guidance and listen for His call.

A final note: Jeremiah 17:8 gives the promise as we trust in God and make Him our trust. We will see evidence of this promise as we grow in trusting Him.

8 He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.

Listen to Aware Worship sing about trusting God:

Weekly Power Shifts

Power Shift 1: Where is your faith really pointed?

Reflection Question: Take an honest look at your last few prayers. Were you more focused on the outcome you wanted, or on the God who makes outcomes possible? No judgment, just notice.

Your Action Step: Before you pray this week, pause and speak God's character out loud before you speak your request. Let your prayer start with Him, not with the ask.

Power Shift 2: Confidence vs. Help.

Reflection Question: What would it look like if the Lord were your confidence and not just your help? There's a difference between asking God to fix something and resting in God as your stability while it's being fixed. Which one describes you this week?

Your Action Step: Choose one situation that's unsettled right now. Write down one name of God from this week's devotional that speaks directly to that situation. Pray to rest in the God of that name while you’re watching Him fix the situation.

Power Shift 3: Depth of Relationship

Reflection Question: How well do you actually know the One you're trusting? Trust isn't just a feeling we conjure up. It grows through relationship by knowing God’s name, character, and experience. Where has your knowledge of God stayed surface-level?

Your Action Step: Pick one name of God from the list above that you're least familiar with in your own experience. Spend intentional time this week yielding that area of your life, and mindset, to Him under that name, and watch for how He shows up.

Download a free printable reflection with Power Shifts for the devotional: Faith Focus - Reflection Download.pdf

Lord, you know that the life you have granted us is both a blessing and hard. Because you are El-Roi, you see us and you understand the many challenges we face on a daily basis. Lord, we know that at times, we have trusted in people and things instead of you. Please forgive us. We have prayed for what we wanted without praying to rest more deeply in you. Please forgive us. May you, on this day, bless us with increasing trust in you. And may we more deeply make you our trust. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen and Ashe.