[[Christian Spirituality]] / Faith and Trust > [!note] New - 2026-03-27 ![[assets/covers/faith-and-trust.jpg]] Faith is the confidence to trust in God’s character and promises even when circumstances suggest otherwise. It is not mere intellectual assent to doctrinal propositions, but a relational orientation towards God that produces obedience and perseverance in difficult circumstances. ## Faith as Trust in God’s Character At the heart of faith lies trust in God’s honour and faithfulness. When Jesus taught through parables about approaching God in prayer, he was not primarily instructing his disciples about human persistence or boldness of character. Rather, he was establishing that God himself can be counted upon to keep his promises; because of his honour, he will answer our prayers. This trust is not achieved through argument or persuasion, but through a fundamental conviction that God’s character is utterly reliable.[^jabbour-crescent-p161] ## Obedience as the Practice of Faith Faith manifests not merely as internal conviction but as lived obedience. When Samuel, a Christian worker in a cross-cultural setting, chose to fast from dawn to dusk, his practice became visible testimony to his commitment. His fasting distinguished him from those around him and demonstrated that faith shapes concrete daily choices, even when these choices make one conspicuous or vulnerable. Such embodied practice reveals faith as something active rather than passive; it is confidence lived out.[^jabbour-crescent-p150] > [!example]- Changelog > - **2026-03-28** Create from *The Crescent through the Eyes of the Cross*: New page covering Confidence in God’s character, promises, and provision, demonstrated through faithful obedience even in difficult circum ## Selected passages > ![[assets/covers/bray-common-prayer.jpg|28]] ‘==That faith is not just intellectual assent (James 2:19), but an expression of our trust and confidence in Jesus Christ for salvation.==’ > > *How to Use the Book of Common Prayer - A Guide to the Anglican Liturgy*, p. 43 ([[sources/scans/bray-common-prayer/How to Use the Book of Common Prayer - 52.jpg|🖼️]]) > ![[assets/covers/jabbour-crescent.jpg|28]] ‘==Muslims who become Christians need to pay the cost of following Christ and should not develop dependency on us, the Christians. God will provide for their needs. — a French Christian==’ > > *The Crescent through the Eyes of the Cross*, p. 203 ([[assets/pages/jabbour-crescent/fulltext-p167.jpg|📖]] [[assets/pages/jabbour-crescent/notebook-p18.jpg|📓]] [[assets/pages/jabbour-crescent/notebook-p19.jpg|📓]]) > ![[assets/covers/jabbour-crescent.jpg|28]] ‘==One day one of the engineers working with him along with a few others observed that Samuel was no longer going to that room where the Christians ate and drank. They asked him, “Are you fasting?” Samuel said, “Yes.” “Like us?” the man asked. So Samuel explained to them that he was fasting from food and drink from six to six.==’ > > *The Crescent through the Eyes of the Cross*, p. 150 ([[assets/pages/jabbour-crescent/fulltext-p124.jpg|📖]] [[assets/pages/jabbour-crescent/notebook-p14.jpg|📓]]) ## Cross-book resonance > ![[assets/covers/bray-common-prayer.jpg|28]] ‘==That faith is not just intellectual assent (James 2:19), but an expression of our trust and confidence in Jesus Christ for salvation.==’ > > *How to Use the Book of Common Prayer - A Guide to the Anglican Liturgy*, p. 43 ([[sources/scans/bray-common-prayer/How to Use the Book of Common Prayer - 52.jpg|🖼️]]) > ![[assets/covers/jabbour-crescent.jpg|28]] ‘==Muslims who become Christians need to pay the cost of following Christ and should not develop dependency on us, the Christians. God will provide for their needs. — a French Christian==’ > > *The Crescent through the Eyes of the Cross*, p. 203 ([[assets/pages/jabbour-crescent/fulltext-p167.jpg|📖]] [[assets/pages/jabbour-crescent/notebook-p18.jpg|📓]] [[assets/pages/jabbour-crescent/notebook-p19.jpg|📓]]) ## Appearances - *How to Use the Book of Common Prayer - A Guide to the Anglican Liturgy*, Samuel L. Bray and Drew Nathaniel Keane - 3 The Ascent of Morning and Evening Prayer, p. 43 - *The Crescent through the Eyes of the Cross*, Nabeel T. Jabbour - Chapter 10 Isolated and Watered Down, p. 150 - Chapter 11 The Power of Paradigms, p. 161 - Chapter 15 Relational Evangelism, p. 203 ## Related [[Salvation]] . [[Divine Providence]] . [[Honour-Shame Paradigm]] . [[Incarnational Piety]] [^jabbour-crescent-p161]: [[The Crescent through the Eyes of the Cross]], p. 161 ([[assets/pages/jabbour-crescent/fulltext-p133.jpg|📖]] [[assets/pages/jabbour-crescent/notebook-p16.jpg|📓]]) . ‘**Can you imagine the man downstairs persisting in knocking at the door after the humiliation of rejection? This is impossible! The parable is about honor and shame rather than persistence. There is a parable that talks about persistence, but it is not this one.36 What is the point that Jesus was […]’ [^jabbour-crescent-p150]: Ibid., p. 150 ([[assets/pages/jabbour-crescent/fulltext-p124.jpg|📖]] [[assets/pages/jabbour-crescent/notebook-p14.jpg|📓]]) . ‘**One day one of the engineers working with him along with a few others observed that Samuel was no longer going to that room where the Christians ate and drank. They asked him, “Are you fasting?” Samuel said, “Yes.” “Like us?” the man asked. So Samuel explained to them that he was fasting from […]’