A Story of Great Faith - The Crosswalk Devotional - July 8
A Story of Great Faith
By Vivian Bricker
Bible Reading:
“Jesus turned and saw her. ‘Take heart, daughter,’ he said, ‘your faith has healed you.’ And the woman was healed at that moment” (Matthew 9:22).
When I turned eighteen years old, my entire life changed. What was once a life filled with routine and reliable schedules quickly unfolded into a confusing spiral of chaos. After my mom passed away, I didn’t know what to do, and I couldn’t find hope in anything or anyone. However, the one person I knew I could trust was Jesus. I placed faith in Jesus shortly after my mom passed away, and He brought hope into my heart. While accepting Jesus didn’t fix all my problems right away, He gave me comfort.
I was already enrolled at a Christian Bible college, so I was able to start learning about Him more. I soaked up all the knowledge about the Lord, yet I still struggled with one vital piece: faith. I had faith in Jesus to save me from my sins, but I struggled to have faith in Him for the normal parts of everyday life. A part of me was still holding onto the argument that He could have prevented my mom from passing away, and the other part of me just wanted comfort from His love.
As I started to grow in my relationship with Jesus, I began to trust Him more. My faith started to grow, and I began having faith in Him for all things. No matter how big or how small the concern was, I trusted that Jesus could fix it. And He has and I have faith in Him to continue to be by my side. The same is true for you, as Jesus is always by your side and He is worthy of your faith.
When we have faith in the Lord, we are not blindly trusting in Him. Rather, we have faith in Him because we know Him and we have seen His amazing work in our lives. While it is true that Jesus could have prevented my mom from passing, it was her time to go. She was young, but she is no longer in pain. I miss my mom very much, yet I’m glad she doesn’t have to be in pain anymore, and she is with the Lord.
It took me years to finally accept my mom’s death and to see any good that came from it, yet faith helps us to see these things. The more we trust in Jesus, the greater our faith will become. He can work all things out for His good, even bad things (Romans 8:28).
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Matthew 9:22 records, “Jesus turned and saw her. ‘Take heart, daughter,’ he said, ‘your faith has healed you.’ And the woman was healed at that moment.” In broader context, the woman Jesus is speaking to was struggling with an issue of blood. She had been in pain and suffering for 12 years with no help from doctors (Luke 8:43-48). She thought if she could just touch Jesus’ cloak, she would be healed (Matthew 9:21).
The Lord saw her great faith and told her to take heart; her faith had healed her. From that very moment, the woman was cured. Just because of her faith in the Lord, she was cured from her long 12 years of suffering. Through this example, we see the importance of having great faith. We all need to strive to have the same faith as this woman.
We can start applying this type of faith in our lives by trusting the Lord. Rather than only trusting Him with our salvation, we need to have faith that He will provide, care, and protect us from all things. He is completely worthy of our trust. The more we trust in Jesus, read about Him in the Bible, and go to Him in prayer, the greater our faith will grow. With time, our faith can be as strong as the faith of the woman with the issue of blood.
“Dear Lord, please help me to have great faith in You. I have often struggled at times, but I know You are completely worthy of my trust. Help my faith to be just as strong as the woman You healed with the issue of blood. I praise You and I thank You. In Your Name, I pray, Amen.”
How strong is your faith? Is it as strong as the woman with the issue of blood? What ways can you increase your faith in Jesus this week? What is holding you back from trusting the Lord with every part of your life?
Further Reading:
Proverbs 3:5-6
John 14:1
Romans 1:17
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Khaosai Wongnatthakan
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Listen to the Jesus Calling Podcast!
Welcome to this special bonus episode of the Jesus Calling Podcast, inspired by the topical themes from Sarah Young’s seasonal prayer devotional Jesus Listens: Prayers for Every Season. Today, we are featuring guests who speak to themes that all of us might be experiencing in this season of winter. As the days grow shorter and the night longer, we are offered a rare gift: permission to stop. This season can be a challenging time for many, and if you are struggling with low spirits, please know you are not alone, and help is available. This episode is an opportunity to honor your weariness, to resist the urge to rush, and to discover the profound healing that happens when we simply let ourselves rest in the stillness. If you like what you hear, be sure to follow Jesus Calling on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
