According to Your Faith

Matthew 9:27 – 30 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”

When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”

“Yes, Lord,” they replied.

Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith will it be done to you”; and their sight was restored.

Before I get into today’s passage, I’d like to tell you a little bit about Berley. Berley was born with a heart and lung disease. The doctors said he would only live for a few days or weeks.

When he was twelve years old, he moved in with my parents. He lived with them for four years, and he was a continual source of joy.

When he was sixteen, he was a groomsman in my wedding. He weighed about 60 pounds, but had the laugh of a 200 pound man.

When he was seventeen, he took his last breath.

Many people questioned: Why didn’t the Lord heal him?

My answer: He did. According to the medical community, he shouldn’t have lived past infancy.

God gave him a rich, full life in which he touched many.

Instead of losing the battle, Berley won battle after battle after battle. To God be the glory.

Now, back to the scripture. I heard it said recently that God sometimes responds to tears and begging and broken hearts. Sometimes. He is a compassionate God, after all.

But there is one thing God responds to, every single time.

Faith.

God wants us to have faith in Him. He wants us to live by faith, and walk in faith. He wants our every breath, our every word to carry with it a faith that God will do what He says He will do.

Not just that He can do it, but that He will.

He always keeps His promises, after all. If we don’t believe that He will keep His promises to His people, then why in the world do we even bother calling on Him?

These men knew that Jesus was able to heal people. They had heard of all the healings that took place, everywhere Jesus went. They also knew that He would heal them, because His reputation had spread. He was a compassionate man.

They believed.

And Jesus responded to their faith.

Time and again in scripture, we are told to have faith. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

Now, I don’t claim to be some giant of faith. To the contrary. My faith is not nearly as strong as I’d like it to be. I wonder . . . I wonder what blessings I have missed in my life, simply because I didn’t have faith? I wonder how many times I’ve traveled the road of anxiety and self pity and suffering, when I could have simply chosen to believe . . .

To believe that God loves me, and He will never forsake me.

To believe that He has good things in store for me, plans for a future and a hope.

To believe that I am more than a conquerer through Jesus Christ.

To believe that with God all things are possible.

To believe that God, who lives in me, is so much greater and more powerful than Satan, who is in the world.

To believe that at His command, mountains fall, stones roll away, storms are calmed, giants are slain, fires don’t burn, lions don’t devour, the hungry are fed, lame people walk, blind people see, deaf people hear, sick people are healed, dead people are brought back to life . . .

What miracles have I forfeited . . .

because I didn’t believe?

Dear Father, I believe. I have faith in You. Where my faith is lacking, please strengthen it.

I believe, Father. I believe.

Amen

To read more about Berley, *click here*, and turn to page 18 in the flip magazine.

10 Responses to According to Your Faith

  1. October 12, 2008 #

    Tears are streaming down my cheeks as I type this. Thank you for sharing Berley with us. What a legacy he’s left behind!

  2. October 12, 2008 #

    He was a pretty special guy, Alyssa.

  3. October 12, 2008 #

    I just wanted to tell you that this post REALLY spoke to me today. I needed to read this. I’m so glad your dad is doing a little better. Continued prayers for him.

  4. October 12, 2008 #

    I’m so glad, Mandy. And thanks so much for your prayers.

  5. October 12, 2008 #

    Thanks for this wonderful post, Renae. I read the Berley story earlier, and my reaction to it was just like Alyssa’s!

    Simply believing… the only way to please God, and yet I try to do it so many other ways.

  6. October 12, 2008 #

    Hi Jeanette! We try to make it so much more difficult than it has to be, don’t we?

  7. October 13, 2008 #

    The Noise (age 9) is very good at praying. She does what we all should do – asks God for what she wants, assumes it has been done and goes back to what she was doing without worrying about it anymore.

    One of the others asked her how she always knows her prayers will be answered, and she said ‘What’s the point of believing in a God who can do something like make heaven and earth if you don’t think he can answer a prayer for you?’

    No answer to that one, really.

  8. October 13, 2008 #

    Oh, the faith of a child. No wonder God wants us to become as little children. Thank you for sharing that, Jackie.

  9. October 13, 2008 #

    Dear Renae,
    I just discussed the theme faith and lack of ditto with my Mom tonight.
    I won’t pretend to have much faith. Sometimes I barely crawl my way to Jesus.’, not with many words.
    Sometimes even the Lord’s prayer is hard to say with an honest heart.
    I keep reminding myself, that all I have to do, is to come.
    The rest is up to Him.
    Luke 18:
    13And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

    14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified.

    That’s how strong my faith is.
    From Felisol

  10. October 14, 2008 #

    I think that is exactly the kind of faith God is looking for, Felisol. Thank you for that reminder.

    You said, “Sometimes I barely crawl my way to Jesus.” That image reminds me of the woman who crawled through the crowd to touch the hem of Jesus’ robe. Jesus was impressed with her humble act of faith, and she was healed.

    Blessings to you, Felisol!

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