Filial Faith, Trusting the Father’s Will
Quiet trust, the Holy Spirit bringing the heart into the Father’s will.
Devotional Credit: Abide Above by Miles Stanford, selection titled “Filial Faith”
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Faith that rests in the Father’s heart is not a lever that makes God move. It is the quiet confidence that the Holy Spirit forms in us as He aligns our desires with the will of God. Miles Stanford reminds us that Jesus and the Holy Spirit never prayed outside the Father’s will. As we abide in Jesus, we share that same posture. Faith is not human force. The power is God’s.
This is liberating. I do not need to manufacture outcomes or strain to create spiritual results. My role is relational, not mechanical. I respond to the Father who already works in me by His Spirit. I trust His wisdom and timing, and I keep company with His Word until my instincts lean into His purpose.
Stanford also encourages patience. Transformation often unfolds quietly. There is nothing wasted in the delay. When I turn to Jesus in disappointment or uncertainty, that turning itself becomes a doorway into deeper fellowship. Life in Jesus is not about trying harder. It is about yielding to His life within, which steadily reshapes my expectations and my hopes.
In this way, faith becomes filial. A son or daughter does not bargain with a father. A son or daughter rests in the Father’s character. We are not isolated individuals trying to pry open heaven. We are members of Christ’s body, held in a corporate salvation where the Spirit intercedes according to God’s will. We are included in the Son’s own confidence before the Father, and we walk it out as He expresses His life in us.
Journal Entry, Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I am the Spirit of Jesus dwelling in you. I search your heart, and I intercede according to the will of the Father. I keep you within the Son’s delight, where you are crucified with Him and alive to God. I teach you to reckon yourself dead to sin and alive in righteousness, so that your thoughts, words, and choices grow from union with the risen Lord.
I draw you to abide. As you remain in the Son, the life of the vine flows into the branch, and fruit arrives in season. I work in you to will and to do the Father’s good pleasure. I renew your mind so that you discern what is good and acceptable and complete. When you lack clarity, I steady you in the peace of Jesus and turn your heart toward the Father’s purpose.
I assure you that you are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. You are raised with the Messiah and seated with Him. Because you are in Him, you ask according to the Father’s will with quiet confidence. This confidence is not loud. It is steady. It rests in the Son’s finished work, and it acts in step with Me.
I keep watch over your delays and longings. Do not measure My work by your clock. The Father’s counsel stands. In due time you will reap, since the seed is imperishable and the river of living water flows from within. Walk with Me. Yield in the small moments. Trust Me to express the life of Jesus through you, and you will find that your faith is simply the family life of the Son shared with you.
Real-Life Analogy
Think of setting a thermostat. You choose the desired temperature, then the system quietly brings the room into alignment. You do not pace the hallway or tap the unit to make it work faster. You set your trust, and the unseen process does what it was designed to do. In the same way, the indwelling Spirit aligns the climate of your heart with the Father’s will as you yield to Jesus within. The point is not your effort to heat or cool the room. The point is remaining connected and trusting the One who adjusts the inner atmosphere.
Try this today. When an email disappoints you or a plan changes, pause the inner scramble for control and yield. Say, Lord, I entrust this moment to You. Express Your wisdom in my response, and let Your peace govern my tone. Then answer with simplicity, honesty, and kindness, trusting the Spirit to carry the weight.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, thank You that Your Spirit intercedes in perfect harmony with Your will. In Jesus, I already share Your favor, Your wisdom, and Your peace. I rest in the finished work of the cross, and I agree with Your purpose for my day. Thank You that You work in me to will and to do what pleases You. I receive Your timing. I receive Your counsel. I welcome the life of Jesus to be seen in my thoughts, my words, and my choices. Amen.
Scripture References for the Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture Section
Romans 8:27. Galatians 2:20. Romans 6:11. John 15:1–8. Philippians 2:13. Romans 12:2. Colossians 3:1–3. Ephesians 1:3. Ephesians 2:6. 1 John 5:14–15. 1 Peter 1:23. John 7:38. Galatians 6:9. Proverbs 19:21.