THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 5:21-34
“Daughter, your faith has healed you.” (Mark 5:34)
What did Jesus mean by “your faith”?
In my church experience, it meant ‘your agreement to the doctrines of the church’.
If you could agree with a list of creeds and confessions, you had “faith”.
But in my experience, many people with this “faith” struggle to trust God.
I do not see this woman as having accurate beliefs, leading to her healing.
My sense is that she is desperate, and is hoping against hope for healing.
She does not know about trinity or incarnation or atonement or predestination.
She knows about suffering, and she knows that people are being healed by Jesus.
And so she reaches out, with a faith no greater than a mustard seed, and it is enough.
The faith that saves us is not a complete and accurate doctrinal position.
It is a posture of humble and desperate need, reaching out in uncertain hope.
It is not the strength of faith, but the act of faith that reaches and receives.
Do not beat yourself up if your faith is not strong, or if you struggle with doubt.
With whatever you’ve got, hang on to Jesus in desperate hope; your faith will help you!
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
Lord, my faith is small, but Your love is great. My grip is weak, but Yours is strong. My hope is in You, and not in my faith. Thank You that this is enough.