In western Christianity, we tend to wait to do things until we have the resources to do them. This would’ve been a foreign concept to the biblical writers. For instance, Hebrews 11 describes how Abraham left his home on God’s instruction, with no idea where he was going. Similarly, every war the Israelites entered defied logical forecasts of success. They consistently went against nations that were stronger, more populated, and more barbaric than them, displaying a willingness to be obedient without the safety net of abundant resources. That is the biblical picture of faith.

God’s goal is first that we would become His disciples, and second that we would grow in our relationship with Him (Matt 28:19–20). In Colossians 1:28, Paul says his goal was to help the church in Colossae be complete in Christ. In Ephesians 4:13, Paul communicates a similar desire that all believers would come to fully know who Jesus is. All of this paints a picture of utter reliance on Jesus—not so much on external means or circumstances. God wants us to fully trust and depend on Him, even if it means trusting Him to be our resource.

We can all take a lesson from David in his confrontation with Goliath. First Samuel 17 describes how the young shepherd boy goes to deliver bread to his brothers and finds a standoff with the Philistine giant. When asked why he thought he could take on the fight, David looked to His God. He recounted how the Lord had delivered him from the lion and the bear, asking why this Philistine, who defied the armies of the living God, should be any different? David had seen God deliver him when he had no resource, and he was confident—not in his own ability, but in God’s deliverance. That’s what gave him the faith to go up against Goliath, and God intends the same thing for us. God often works when we step out in faith, providing the resource Himself so that our confidence is in Him, not in our own strength.

Our whole relationship with the Father is built on these steps of faith. He desires that we would depend on Him to be our provider, not to get our resources together first or depend on our own abilities. American culture makes this kind of faith somewhat counterintuitive. We’re taught the bootstraps mentality of relying on our own natural faculties and tangible goods to accomplish any task. But Scripture calls us to something different. In Romans 12:2, the Apostle Paul says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” What God asks all throughout history, from the Old Testament believers and from us today, is that we rely on Him and look to His ability rather than our own. Our culture today is all about resource, so walking in faith might look a little countercultural. Trusting the Lord to provide rather than resting in our own ability is hard, but it’s a powerful step toward radical faith in the God who is our strength.

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