“And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.”
Matthew 13:58
Faith. This unseen powerful force that changes the trajectory of our lives and those around us. Faith. What is it, what does it do and how can we get it?
Hebrews 11:1 says that “faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” There is only One Being that is worthy of us putting our faith in because there is only One that is powerful enough to do the impossible.
In Matthew 13, we find Jesus in His hometown preaching in the synagogue and those around him were amazed at his wisdom and miraculous powers. Yet, they couldn’t get past who they thought He was. All they could see was a local carpenter’s son. They knew His father, mother and his siblings, they watched him grow up, and they couldn’t see past their limited knowledge of who they thought He was. They didn’t believe He could do what He said He could do.
Introspectively, I wonder how many times I have labeled God as something that He is not; thereby believing Him so small and unable to do what He says He can do. How limiting has my faith been that I haven’t had confidence in the things that I hoped for and have been unable to believe for those things I can’t see with my physical sight? How many times have I limited the miracles God wants to do in my life simply because I don’t truly believe in the power of God or maybe honestly, it’s because I don’t believe in the extreme goodness of God?
“Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” (Romans 10:17) Our lack of faith comes from not really knowing what Christ says and what His word says about His character. In the parable of the sower in Matthew 13, verse 21 says, “But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.” By not having our roots deep in the Word and the knowledge of God, our faith is weak. Our faith quickly becomes in what is seen instead of what is unseen – this is really no faith at all. Faith is when we move forward in the knowledge of who God says He is and believe that His perfect plan and eternal purposes will come to fruition.
May the Lord increase my faith as I dive deeper into believing who God says He is and watch as He miraculously moves in my life to fulfill His purposes and plans in my life story.
Rooted in Him,
