A selection of verses showing that God asks us to have faith in him.
The letter to the Hebrews spells out clearly that faith in God is essential:
6 Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him.
God gave miraculous signs to Moses as evidence to encourage the Israelites to believe what God said:
6 The LORD said furthermore to him, “Now put your hand inside your cloak.”
He put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, as white as snow.
7 He said, “Put your hand inside your cloak again.”
He put his hand inside his cloak again, and when he took it out of his cloak, behold, it had turned again as his other flesh.
8 “It will happen, if they will not believe you or listen to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.
The psalmists repeatedly criticised the Israelites for not believing God's promise of help despite having evidence of his help in the past:
11 They forgot his doings,
his wondrous deeds that he had shown them.
12 He did marvellous things in the sight of their fathers,
in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
21 They forgot God, their Saviour,
who had done great things in Egypt,
22 wondrous works in the land of Ham,
and awesome things by the Red Sea.
23 Therefore he said that he would destroy them,
had Moses, his chosen, not stood before him in the breach,
to turn away his wrath, so that he wouldn’t destroy them.
24 Yes, they despised the pleasant land.
They didn’t believe his word,
God told the prophet Isaiah that Israel was a witness to encourage belief in him. He tells Israel:
10 “You are my witnesses,” says the LORD,
“With my servant whom I have chosen;
that you may know and believe me,
and understand that I am he.
Before me there was no God formed,
neither will there be after me.
The Evidence - You decide website www.theevidence.org.uk looks at the evidence about the Jews which encourages trust in what God has said.
Jesus said that God was working through him. The miracles (works) that he could do, give us confidence to trust what he said:
37 If I don’t do the works of my Father, don’t believe me. 38 But if I do them, though you don’t believe me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”
10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I tell you, I speak not from myself; but the Father who lives in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me; or else believe me for the very works’ sake.
Paul told the Roman believers how to develop faith:
17 So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
These chapters have links to this theme: