Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 3
Darla says Job’s words, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust him,” became her motto when she couldn’t even muster “mustard seed” faith—what does that reveal about faith as something we ask God for rather than manufacture, and how does that challenge common evangelical instincts about assurance and “strong faith”?
Another way to ask: Darla leaned on Job’s words even when she felt like she had almost no faith. What does that show about faith being something we ask God for instead of something we create, and how does that push back on the idea that real Christians always feel “strong faith”?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
The transcript suggests Darla treated faith as a gift to request from God—she openly asked Him to supply what she could not produce. That challenges the instinct to treat assurance as a personal achievement, because she describes trusting God even while feeling weak and frightened.
- Darla repeatedly spoke Job’s line to herself: “Though he slay me, yet will I trust him,” showing faith functioning as a chosen dependence, not a confident feeling.
- She admits her faith “wasn’t even” the size of “a mustard seed,” contradicting the idea that real believers always feel strong.
- She prayed directly: “God, just give me even that kind of faith because I’m not able to… bring up that faith on my own strength.”
- She summarizes God’s response as simple invitation: “That is His heart. He wants you to ask. Ask for it.”
- She also prayed, “Give me the faith of a child,” linking faith to humble reliance.