Walking in Faith to the Miracle

 "Please come and heal my boy!" (Gentile government official)

"Do you have to see a miracle before you believe?" (Jesus)

"Please, please, I'm desperate. He is about to die." (official)

"Go back home. Your son will live." (Jesus)

(John 4:43-54, paraphrased)

The man believes Jesus and starts back home. I wonder if his thoughts were mostly hopeful or mixed with doubt the farther he walked. He received Jesus' word and acted on faith. He was willing to believe before he saw the miracle. How long was he in between the word of faith and hearing that his son was healed? When he discovers the boy was healed the exact time Jesus spoke the word, his faith is rewarded, he and his whole household believe in Jesus.

Will we act towards faith when the Holy Spirit gives a promise? How will we respond in between the promise and seeing the results? Will we keep walking when the way seems long? Maybe we'll even forget about what was promised. We have other things to turn to for help.

The story of the man who falls off a cliff comes to mind. On the way down he grabs a branch and hangs on. He cries for help and God's voice says, "Let go." He considers the instruction for awhile. Finally, he says, "Is there anyone else up there?"

Are we placing all our trust in God? Do we find his instruction too scary, too difficult, too unreasonable as we wait for the answer? Is there an action I need to do to "walk towards faith"; towards the promise?

How are we responding to these words of Jesus? 

You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. (John 14:14)

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. (1 John 5:14)

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. (Matthew 7:7)

Lord, increase my faith. I want to believe you as the ruler did who believed before he saw the miracle.

Be My Witness!

 January is a time for reflection, not to the past, but to the future. Our church calls us to a 21 day of prayer and fasting. This year the theme and emphasis is-BE MY WITNESS.

We're daily asking the Holy Spirit to show us areas we need to surrender to him. As he fills us with power we can obey the commission to go make disciples. It's exciting to think about what God has in store for a people who are committed to seeking him for more passion to share Jesus with those who don't follow him. I was reading through some of my pervious blog posts tonight and found one that retold a story about an experience Lee Strobel had shared at some point. I'm using it again because it fits so well with our theme this month.

Lee Strobel (a pretty prominent Christian apologist) came and talked to us a couple of weeks ago and told a story about how, a couple of years ago, he was wanting to share his faith with a co worker that he had known for a long time.  He knew the guy was an atheist but he really felt like God was telling him to go invite this guy to church on Easter Sunday.  So Lee walks over to this guy's cubicle and asks him to church.  Of course the guy was like why would I want to go to church?  So Lee starts laying out a few things about Christ and the reasons for believing, but this guy is resolute in that he is not coming to church.  So Lee walked away from that meeting like, great God, that was awesome.  Why'd you have me do that?  Lee said, "That guy is still an Atheist to this day and he never did come to church.  So a little while ago, I had finished preaching and I had a man come up to me that I had never met.  The man said, I just wanted to share my story with you, a couple of years ago, I lost my job.  I was having a really rough time and was trying to find work wherever I could.  I didn't know God and was just trying to make it on my own.  I was hired by a local business to do a random tiling job that had come up.  The owner was taking pity on me and you don't know this but I was tiling in an office and was stuck down behind a cubicle when you came up and started talking to a guy about coming to Easter Service at your church.  I heard what you said and I called my wife right then and said honey we've got to go to this church!"  Lee called that ricochet faith and I think that even if we aren't technically evangelizing, whatever interactions we are having with people, if we are being mindful of our faith and trying to share God even in just being friendly, God uses our interactions regardless of the responses we get."

BE encouraged. Our God is full of surprises. I want his love to guide me. I want to stay open and listening for his direction.  

"Lord make me aware of who you are setting me up for. May I see everyone I meet as a beautiful person made in your image."