“Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. Go, it shall be done for you as you have believed.”

                                                                                                               Matthew 8:10,13

Today: Read Matthew 8

The Bible is full of “main things.” These are the things that appear repeatedly throughout scripture. For the one who makes a point to spend time in God’s Word everyday, these truths are hard to miss. Throughout the gospels, we see the power of faith on display as Jesus heals and delivers people from sin and brokenness. Today’s passage is one such event. A Roman centurion makes a plea on behalf of his servant. This servant was reported to be at the centurion’s home, lying paralyzed, and “fearfully tormented” (v 6). Jesus agrees to come to the man’s home and heal the servant. But upon hearing this, the centurion admits his own unworthiness and implores Jesus not to come, rather just to “say the word” for his servant to be healed. This man recognized the authority and power that Jesus has over sin, sickness, and everything else that plagues mankind. Jesus recognized the man’s faith and healed the servant instantly. Don’t miss Jesus’ words as He says, “Go, it shall be done for you as you have believed” (v 13). Jesus acts on the man’s faith, thus what the man believed became reality in his life.

This certainly isn’t the only place where we see Jesus act in response to faith. Jesus responds to a sinful woman by declaring her sins forgiven (Luke 7:48). Again, don’t miss Jesus’ words, “Your faith has saved you, go in peace” (Luke 7:50). Jesus identifies the woman’s faith, and it acts as the conduit through which God’s forgiveness and healing flows. Jesus healed a woman who had a longstanding medical issue and declared that, “her faith had made her well” (Matthew 9:22). Jesus even responds to the faith of others. When the friends of a paralytic bring him to Jesus, he recognizes their faith saying, “Take courage, son, your sins are forgiven” (Matthew 9:2). And on top of that, Jesus heals him and the man got up and walked home (Matthew 9:7).

So while faith is the means by which the power of God is displayed, a lack of faith can also hinder God’s working in your life. In the same chapter that we are reading today, the disciples are in a boat with Jesus. The peaceful day gives way to a great storm, which sends the disciples into a life or death panic. “Save us Lord, we are perishing” (Matthew 8:25) was the cry of Jesus’ followers. His reply to them is telling, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” (v 26) Likewise, when the disciples were faced with attempting to cast out a demon from a demon-possessed man, they were unsuccessful. They inquired as to why they couldn’t accomplish the task. Jesus responded by saying, “Because of the littleness of your faith” (Matthew 17:20). Jesus goes on to teach us that if we have faith, even the size of a mustard seed, we can move mountains and “nothing will be impossible to you” (Matthew 17:20).

Faith is the key that unlocks the door to the power of God in your life. It is how we are saved (Acts 16:31). It is the difference between forgiveness and condemnation (John 3:18). And without it, we cannot please God (Hebrews 11:6). Trust Him today and watch the power of God displayed in your life!