God's Faith for the Difficult Ones

Even when we feel like we don’t belong, God anchors us securely in His purpose.

Devotional Credit:
Open Windows, By T. Austin-Sparks from “Filled Unto All the Fullness of God – Chapter 10”

Photo Credit:
Photo by Unsplash

When Jesus called the twelve disciples, He wasn’t assembling a team of spiritual giants. He chose a group full of flaws, misperceptions, materialism, and selfish ambition. The Gospels do not airbrush their weaknesses; rather, they highlight them. From their misunderstandings to their self-centered expectations, the twelve consistently failed to grasp spiritual realities. And yet, Jesus remained committed to them.

The devotion today from T. Austin-Sparks draws our attention to the way Jesus related to these struggling men. He didn’t have faith in their ability. He didn’t pretend they were more capable than they were. Instead, He trusted His Father to do something remarkable with them. He knew the Father could transform even the most hard-headed and slow-hearted into vessels of eternal purpose.

The character of the Firstborn Son was shown not by how He distanced Himself from their immaturity, but by how He bore with them in patience, and how He trusted the Father to accomplish what was humanly impossible. That same patient faith is now extended to us. Christ lives in us, and He still entrusts the Father with our transformation—not because of what He sees in us, but because of what He knows about His Father.

This word reminds us that we are not the sum of our natural tendencies. We are not being improved—we are being indwelt. And God has not despaired of us, even when we might despair of ourselves. His faith is steady, rooted in His own ability to bring to completion what He began. With God, no word of promise will fail—especially the promise to conform us to the image of His Son.

Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture

I have not despaired of you. I do not waver in My trust in what the Father is doing within you. You look at yourself and wonder how any fruit could come from such weakness, but I see what the Father sees—I see the new creation He has already formed in you, hidden with Me in God. Your life is now Mine, and I am faithful to live through you.

You are not My project—you are My dwelling place. The Father has chosen to display His power not in pristine strength but through jars of clay, that the surpassing power may be clearly from Him and not from you. That is why I did not choose the wise, the noble, or the self-sufficient. I chose those the world would overlook, that the Father might be glorified through transformation only He could bring.

When you miss the point or fall into self-interest, I do not retreat. I intercede for you. I guide you into all truth. I whisper reminders of your true identity. My presence is not deterred by your confusion, and My grace is never diminished by your shortcomings. The Father’s will is unwavering—to conform you to My image, and nothing is impossible with Him.

You may wonder if you'll ever “get it right,” but I say, look not at your grasp of Me—look at My grip on you. Rest in My faithfulness for you. I am not discouraged by your journey. I am in you, for you, and working through you. As I bore with the twelve, I bear with you—yet not just beside you but within you. The Father delights to do the impossible in those who stop trying to prove themselves and begin to trust Me completely.

Let the joy of this truth free you from the striving that exhausts and the doubt that accuses. In this very moment, yield to Me again. Trust Me to live through you. Let My faith for you replace the shaky belief you try to muster. I do not ask for your strength—I ask for your trust.

Scripture References:
Luke 1:37; 1 Corinthians 1:26–29; John 15:5; Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 4:7; Hebrews 7:25; Romans 8:26–28; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:3; Philippians 1:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:24; Romans 15:13; John 14:23; John 16:13

Real-Life Analogy

Imagine trying to hang a picture frame, only to discover the wall is concrete. Your plastic pushpin bends, breaks, and falls to the floor. No matter how many times you try, it won't hold. But then someone brings the right tool—a sturdy anchor and a drill. Suddenly, what seemed impossible is effortlessly accomplished—not because the wall changed, but because the tool was different.

We are often like that plastic pin, attempting to support what only God can secure. But Jesus never intended for us to hold it up ourselves. Instead, He is the anchor. He is the One through whom the Father does the impossible, in us and through us. Our part is not to drill harder but to surrender the job to the One already equipped.

So today, in that conversation where you fear you’ll say the wrong thing, in that moment where your patience is tested, or in the middle of a disappointment that tempts you to give up—pause and say, “Lord, I entrust this to You. I trust You to respond through me. I yield to Your life in me to do what I cannot do.”

Prayer of Confidence

Father, thank You that nothing is impossible with You. Even when I feel like a hopeless case, You never waver in Your purpose or patience. Jesus had faith in You to do the work then—and He has that same faith now, living in me. I rest in that. I trust not in my effort, but in Your power at work within me. Thank You that You are not looking for my strength but inviting my surrender. I gladly yield today to Your faithful work. I am Yours, and I am grateful. Amen.