Faith Vs Presumption

Devotional Reading: “He that believeth shall not make haste.” — Isaiah 28:16 (KJV)

Faith and presumption both sound bold, but they behave very differently. Faith waits for God’s green light; presumption speeds off at the yellow. Faith says, “God will do it, and I’ll wait for His timing.” Presumption says, “God should have done it by now, so let me help Him a bit.” You see, presumption wears faith’s clothes but lacks its patience. Faith walks with peace; presumption runs with pressure. One is led by conviction; the other is driven by impulse. If you’ve ever rushed into a relationship, business, or decision saying “God told me” when He clearly didn’t, congratulations, you’ve just met presumption!

Faith stands on what God actually said; presumption acts on what we assume He said. Faith listens before moving; presumption moves before listening. Faith knows that if God hasn’t spoken, silence is still an instruction. Presumption, on the other hand, panics in silence and says, “Let me just do something!”

The danger is that presumption looks spiritual, it prays loudly, acts boldly, and even quotes verses, but at its core, it’s powered by self-confidence, not God-dependence. When we mistake noise for faith, we end up fighting battles God never sent us to.

For instance, Saul offered the sacrifice himself because Samuel seemed to delay. He called it “faith,” but God called it disobedience. Abraham believed God for Isaac, yet when the waiting felt too long, he turned to Hagar, that was presumption in action. In our day, it’s like starting a business because “God will bless the works of my hands” when He never asked you to start that one. Or saying, “I’ll marry him, God will change him,” when God already gave you red flags.

Faith waits for direction; presumption rushes for results. Faith stays on the boat until Jesus says, “Come.” Presumption jumps into the water, hoping Jesus will follow. The difference is not courage, it’s obedience.

Prayer and Confession
Father, teach me to slow down when You haven’t spoken. Help me to recognize the peace that comes with true faith and to avoid the restlessness of presumption. I act on divine instruction, not human impulse. I will not call impatience faith. I trust God’s word above my feelings or timing. Amen!

Further Reading: 1 Samuel 13:8–14, Genesis 16:1–4, Matthew 14:28–31