Faith is trust in God, but to what level? Is it the faith when we first come to the knowledge of God's truth? Is it the faith we come to when we are pushed beyond our comfort level in matters of health or jobs or obedience to God's law? Is it faith to know completely that we are in God's hands, no matter the outcome of any given situation?

You may have heard the story of the man who fell off a cliff, but managed to grab a tree limb on the way down. According to the story, the following conversation ensued:

"Is anyone up there?"

"I am here. I am the Lord. Do you believe Me?"

"Yes, Lord, I believe. I really believe, but I can't hang on much longer."

"That's all right—if you really believe, you have nothing to worry about. I will save you. Just let go of the branch."

A moment of pause, then: "Is anyone else up there?"

We can laugh at situations such as that because we are not the man hanging by the branch on the side of a cliff.

In Hebrews 11:1 we are told that "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." None of us has seen God directly, but as the years increase in our walk with God, we do see Him, don't we? We see Him in healings, in strength for keeping God's Word, in the peace of mind and trust in Him that we gain in our everyday lives.

In 1 John 4:18 we are told that perfect love casts out fear. Humanly speaking, we want that fear to be gone now! And yet, it is obvious as well that we don't have perfect love. Faith is also staying the course so God's love in us can be perfected and fear can be diminished.

One night a house caught fire and a young boy was forced to flee to the roof. The father stood on the ground below with outstretched arms, calling to his son, "Jump! I'll catch you." He knew the boy had to jump to save his life.

All the boy could see, however, was flame, smoke and blackness. As can be imagined, he was afraid to leave the roof. His father kept yelling: "Jump! I will catch you." But the boy protested, "Daddy, I can't see you." The father replied, "But I can see you and that's all that matters."

Faith is not merely your holding on to God—it is God holding on to you. He will not let you go (Deuteronomy 31:6)!

God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). Each week we can grow in faith. Each trial can add to our trust and reliance in God. Each year we should be able to look back and see God's hand guiding, supporting and encouraging us.

The answer to my earlier questions is "yes." Faith is all of those things and more. Faith is allowing God to live in us to change us into a son or daughter of God—no matter what this physical life brings.