John Wesley’s Pastoral Letter (April 17, 1776)

On April 17, 1776, John Wesley (1703–1791), the indefatigable English evangelist and organizer of the Methodist movement, wrote a pastoral word to a correspondent weighed down by fear and weakness. He urged the troubled believer to rest in God’s present provision rather than attempting to hoard strength for an unknown future: “You have now such faith as is necessary for your living unto God. As yet you are not called to die. When you are, you shall have faith for this also.”

Wesley wrote as a veteran shepherd, seasoned by decades of itinerant preaching across towns and countryside, and by the steady care of societies, classes, and bands that cultivated accountability and prayer. In a year shadowed by war and uncertainty across the Atlantic, his counsel met a more universal battlefield: the anxious heart.

Faith Supplied Daily, Not Stored by Human Strength

Wesley’s sentence assumes a fatherly providence. God does not merely command courage; He gives it, fitting grace to the moment. This comforts the believer who feels small: the Lord does not ask tomorrow’s burdens to be carried with today’s measure.

Scripture speaks the same way: “Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden, the God of our salvation. Selah” (Psalm 68:19). Daily means real time—morning mercies for morning needs, evening help for evening fears.

Obedience in the Present, Peace about the Future

Wesley’s guidance also strengthens ordinary heroism: the quiet bravery of present obedience. The next duty—prayer, repentance, forgiveness, honesty, worship—is often where faith is proved. When the heart demands guarantees, Christ redirects it: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34).

Grace for Death When God Appoints the Hour

His final line faces death without theatrics. Christians need not pretend they are fearless; they trust that, when God calls, He will also supply faith to endure. Until then, believers “live unto God,” confident that the One who gives grace for today will not abandon them at the last.