Most Christians would agree that faith is the most important thing. It’s what God wants of us the most. But faith is not what some people think it is: It is not simply to “believe;” not just accepting certain ideas as true. Rather, it is sure trust in all-powerful God’s mercy towards us. As put by Martin Luther,
There are many people who—when they hear the Gospel [of] faith alone—jump in and say: “Yes, I, too, believe.” They regard their own self-invented notions as faith. [but such people] are deceived with regard to the term “faith.” We are not talking about knowledge, but about trust in God’s promise and in his mercy…This it is to behold God in faith that you should look upon his fatherly, friendly heart, in which there is no anger nor ungraciousness.
We are justified by faith; God commands us to have faith; and without faith, the Bible tells us, it is impossible to please God. Faith, writes Luther, “will cause Christ to dwell, live, and reign in you.” Faith is so important that God sends special trials to help us grow in it. “Here you see the reason why God besets His saints with so many trials, so that they may learn to put their trust in God.”
OCD is a custom-made trial to help us to grow in faith. It is the perfect training ground for learning, developing, and nourishing trust in God. Next time you are struck by an obsessional fear, try reminding yourself of this: “IT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAT I LEARN TO TRUST IN GOD, THAN DO SOMETHING RIGHT NOW TO ADDRESS MY OBSESSION.”
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