Keep Believing

“And He said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.” Luke 8:48

In this section of Scripture, Jesus is talking to a woman who has had a serious bleeding illness for twelve years. Not willing to directly talk to Jesus, she approaches Him in a crowd, hoping to only touch His clothes and receive healing. When she does this, Jesus confronts her, and then He comforts her with the words we read in Luke 8:48.

Sometimes it is difficult to have a faith that is unshakable especially when it comes to the here and now, that is, when we pray for tangible things like health issues, finances, relationships, etc. We pray of course, but sometimes we are uncertain as to whether or not God will answer in the way we want. That’s when trust comes into play. Proverbs 3:5 tells us to “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” We have to trust God because He sees the bigger picture. He answers according to what is best for us and what is aligned with His will for us.

As a parent, I sometimes responded negatively to my child’s request for something because I knew it would not be in her best interest at that time. I did not offer an explanation for denying the request because I expected her to trust me and accept my decision as best for her. Most of the time, she did, but it certainly didn’t stop her from asking again at a later date!

That’s how it should be with us when it comes to God. We are His children, His creation. We need to trust Him in all things. We need to have faith, not only that He can answer prayer, but that He does. However, we must remember that God responds in the way that is right and best for us. Our faith in Him is what gets us the answers we seek; our trust in Him keeps our faith strong when He doesn’t answer in the exact way we want.

We must remember that God is good all the time; He doesn’t make mistakes, and that includes how He answers prayer. Because of this, we can come to Him humbly in prayer and ask Him to intervene in anything, trusting His answer to be the very best for us and those for whom we pray.

“Pray without ceasing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17