This year continues with a new version of “My Grace-Full Life,” and this month – we’re talking about “My Faith-Full Life.” Faith is what drives it all – the belief in our God and our trust in His goodness. Three of my favorite passages from Scripture demonstrate the importance of faith.
Amazing Faith: The Roman Centurion
Matthew 8:5-13 tells us a story of a faith so big and bold, that it warranted Jesus’ amazement.
A Roman Centurion went to Jesus to ask Him to heal his servant. When Jesus said He would go to the man’s home, the Centurion surprised Jesus and said “no.” He told Jesus, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.”
At these words, the Bible tells us that Jesus marveled. In verse 10, Jesus said, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.”
The extraordinary faith of the Roman Centurion continues to amaze. This is the faith Jesus wants us to demonstrate. The amazing kind of faith that makes all things possible through Jesus Christ (Philippians 4:13).
Help My Unbelief: A Desperate Father
Mark 9:14-29 tells the story of a demon-possessed boy whose father had sought help from every possible source. Jesus was his last hope. The dialogue between the man and Jesus paints a picture of desperation, but it’s the words of the man in verse 24 that pull at my heartstrings. The verse says, “Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, ‘I believe; help my unbelief!’”
As a parent, I’ve gone through my own share of anguish. So, it’s the unnamed father’s words, “I believe; help my unbelief!” that speaks so deeply to my heart. I relate to his desperate cry for help. I relate to his vulnerability. I relate to his cautious hope – that hope that desperately wants to believe, but is so guarded for fear of being disappointed yet again.
All of us have our own, “I believe; help my unbelief!” set of circumstances. Whatever shape yours look like, we can let the words of this father become our own. We can confess our faith, but admit our weakness. Moreover, we can be vulnerable to the One who saves us.
Jesus the Author of Faith
The author of Hebrews 12:2 wrote, “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” My writer heart loves that of all the ways Jesus can be described – He’s described as an author.
He knows our hearts even better than we know them ourselves. He’s the one that turns hearts of stone to hearts of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26), and He is the very author of the faith that can be written on our hearts if we ask (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus is willing to help us in our moments of doubt, pain, sorrow, and even those times when we’re afraid to hope again, unsure if we can handle another disappointment.
Lean on Him, knowing that even if He doesn’t answer as you expect, His plan is greater than our own. And, in that truth – we can have faith.
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Verse of the Month: Hebrews 12:2
Song of the Month: “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail),” performed by Taylor Mosby
Recommended Reading: I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist, by Frank Turek and Norman Geisler; I Still Believe, by Jeremy Camp; The Daniel Dilemma, by Chris Hodges; World Changers: How God Uses Ordinary People to Do Extraordinary Things, by Greg Laurie; Courageous Faith by Charles Stanley
