CHILDREN BELIEVE ANYTHING. It’s so precious, we sometimes reckon it to them as righteousness. But no matter how sweet a child’s trust, we must still teach them to weigh trust against facts lest we leave them in constant danger. To keep ourselves and others safe, to make wise decisions in this life, they must learn how to doubt. Skepticism keeps us alive. But what happens when God solicits our trust? What happens when he gives us the facts, not from where we sit, but from where he sits?

If God’s promise doesn’t strain our ability to believe, then it is probably not a promise of God; it isn’t wild and good enough. Jesus blessed Thomas after the doubting disciple touched his hands and side after the resurrection, but then said, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe” (John 20:29). From Adam and Eve to Abram, to us, whatever our level of faith or skepticism, faith will be a challenge. It will require recovering trust, not out of naïveté, but out of a more foundational set of facts. Choosing to believe that God’s hidden facts undergird our current circumstances is grown-up work.