Believe

“Let it be done to you according to your faith” Mt. 9:29

These are the words that Jesus uses while healing the blind men. Before this Jesus asks, “Do you believe that I can do this?”

Interesting that Jesus requires the recipients of the miracle to already accept that they will be healed. It made me wonder.

Do I believe?

Do I believe that Jesus can perform a miracle in my life?

Most of the time, yes. Most of the time I can see the very things that I ask for in prayer unfolding which is why I am generally not overly surprised when prayers are answered. Instead I am overwhelmed at God’s evident love and concern for my little life. Or our little lives.

I mentioned the other day about believing in your vision. Today I am thinking about how we need to believe in those around us. Just as Joseph had to believe in his betrothed or Mary had to believe she heard what she heard from the Angel Gabriel, so too we have to believe that God placed people in our lives for the purpose of building his kingdom.

People ask me to pray for their needs all of the time and I am grateful they do. Their trust in me helps me deepen my trust in him. Some people say, “He listens to you” which is funny, because anyone who knows Jesus knows he will listen to any of us.

Any one of us.

At any time.

Jesus listens.

The only difference is that I truly believe he will will listen to me. I may not get what I am asking for but I always get what I need. Sometimes I hear, “Really Annette? That is what you are worried about?” and my energies will be re-appropriated.

But that I said, “Most of the time” means that I still have work to do. And that is the purpose of this season.

As I am drawn deeper down into the nuts and bolts of it, I am forced to face myself and at times my lack of belief. Because the truth is, I don’t always believe in myself. I don’t always believe that God is working in me to make the seed he planted forever-ago to become fruit. My doubt at times is extreme and debilitating. Those are the times that I have to believe in the people who surround me. I have to cling to their confidence, to their faith and sometimes to their vision of me.

And that’s okay.

It really is.

Because ours is a faith of community. We are not meant to go it alone.

So as we work through this season preparing our hearts for the One coming, let’s give thanks for those who have been sent to share our faith and our vision, those who are sent to look out for us so that we can do what we were sent to do. Let’s say a prayer of gratitude for those who help us to believe.