feb3 2023 yourfaith

Your Faith

Matthew 9:22 (ESV) -- Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly  the woman was made well.

This verse is tucked into a chapter that shows Jesus doing incredible things and people demonstrating incredible faith. Jesus heals a paralytic at the beginning of the chapter. He saw the faith of the four friends and it moved Him to action. Then a ruler came and knelt before Jesus and told Him his daughter had just died. Jesus goes with him to where the girl laid. But on the way, as He passed through the crowds, a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years touched the fringe of His garment. Her reasoning? If she could get to Jesus and touch His garment, He could make her well. 

Jesus knew power had gone from Him, so He asked who touched Him. The disciples thought the question silly considering how many people surrounded Him. But Jesus knew somebody touched Him differently. The woman emerged and identified herself. That is when we see our passage today, “Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, ‘Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.’ And instantly  the woman was made well.”

Notice the emphasis in this passage, and in other passages in this chapter: the faith of the individual is a part of the equation of what happens. Does God need our faith to do things? No. He can act unilaterally. He doesn’t need our participation. But His heart is inclined to acts of faith that demonstrate a trust in Him. This woman believed Jesus could heal. So she acts. Her action did not take something from Jesus. Rather it positioned her to receive something from Jesus. 

His power is available to us too. Is our life marked by faith? Do we live and act in accordance to who we say God is? That is the kind of faith displayed in Matthew 9. The people who acted in faith were doing it in light of what they had been told about Jesus. They heard about His power and ability to heal. They knew He carried authority. So they acted.


Act today in light of who God is. That is where faith is displayed in our lives.

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Reflection & Journal:
- Why does our faith move the heart of God?
- What things can we do to help strengthen our faith?
- How does this passage challenge you to live by faith? 


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