“Then Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.’ And her daughter was healed at that moment.”
Matthew 15:28 (NIV)
This is one of just two encounters recorded in the Gospels in which Jesus comments on a person's great faith. These include the Canaanite woman and the Roman Centurion (Matthew 8:5-13). In both cases, great faith produced great fruit, and without their faith, we would not be able to read these wonderful stories today!
Can I encourage you that there are hundreds of scriptures throughout the Bible revealing that without faith, we cannot please God? Faith in Jesus is central to our salvation, and this is called "saving faith," but we are also called to live by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7) and to fight the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12)!
At the core of faith in God lies our complete trust in Him. No matter how daunting the daily struggles and challenges are, no matter what the doctor's report says, no matter the pain of a family member walking away from the Lord, faith in Jesus is the key that unlocks the power to overcome. It's not just a belief; it's a force that sustains us and empowers us to face life's trials with hope and courage.
So, what is faith? The Bible describes precisely what faith is in Hebrews 11:1, "Now, faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." In other words, what we see in the natural realm with our physical eye does not determine the potential for what we can ultimately see through the process of trusting God! The process is where faith is needed, and faith's potential can only be achieved through God's divine power, not ours! This is exactly what we see in Hebrews 11 when the writer makes a great list of all those who exercised great faith in what we know today as the 'hall of faith'!
If there's one thing we can learn today from Hebrews 11 alone, it's that faith in God was a common - but powerful - thread within all the different lives mentioned. And if it was important for their walk with God, it's just as important for ours! Today, we are not just called to remember their faith, but to continue this 'great hall of faith' by trusting in God to sustain us. We are an integral part of this lineage, responsible for carrying forward the legacy of faith.
So how can we see faith arise in our lives? The Bible again makes it clear in Romans 10:17 that faith comes by hearing the word of God! This means that the more you read or listen to the word of God, the more your faith will be transformed and increased! That's why Paul said to Timothy that all scripture is 'God-breathed' because its words have the power to change our perspective in all situations, to inspire us, and to motivate us to live a life of faith.
In Hebrews 12:2, the writer says, 'Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.' In other words, when our attention and gaze are on Christ, He will build our faith! Today, be encouraged as you read this, and let your faith arise. Let's be known as men and women of faith!
