Jesus directed this question to two blind men. They had heard about the great healer, but were they willing to act on what they knew, but could not see? Faith does not require eyes as Hebrews explains: "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (11:1). Faith is not blind - it sees beyond the limitation of the human eye. Faith is the hinge that swings open the door to "the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 13:11).
"You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
You will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
For this people's heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts and turn,
and I would heal them."
(Matthew 13:14,15)
We learned, in last week's email* that the eyes of the heart are vastly illuminated when we dig deeply into the depths of the knowledge of God's Word. His Word is the lamp that lights our path and the oil that keeps our lamps burning brightly for Him. It is this knowledge that is the most essential component to our faith.
Each meal that we have spent feasting on His Word have nourished and filled us with greater knowledge and understanding of our Lord; resulting in greater trust and reliance upon the Lord - this makes the foundation of our faith firm.
"...so that your faith might not rest on man's wisdom,
but on God's power."
(1 Corinthians 2:5)
The Lord questioned the faith of those around Him many times, and at other times He marveled at the people's faith (reference Matthew 6:30; 8:10-13, 26; 9:2; 14:31; 15:28). Today, He is searching for signs of faith on this earth (reference Luke 18:18). If only we would exhibit the faith that would lead Him to exclaim, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in [this nation] with such great faith..." (Matthew 8:10).
"O unbelieving and perverse generation" Jesus replied,
"how long shall I stay with you?
How long shall I put up with you?"
(Matthew 17:17)
As we come to the end of our current 40 day Proclaim Liberty fast, it is significant that we are confronted with the annual Day of Atonement (see details below). This Jewish holy day focuses on atonement and repentance - a necessary place we all must be willing to confront during our time of revelation in His Word. Spending time with our Lord daily, we have grown in our intimacy with Him and fallen more deeply in love with the One Who has shown Himself to be compassionate, kind, gentle, loving, and good. He has demonstrated to us, time and time again, "that God's kindness leads you toward repentance..." (Romans 2:4b) and we must respond in kind with humble repentance.
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."
(Matthew 3:2; 4:17)
Both, John the Baptist and Jesus Christ came preaching that we must repent. We need to turn from the path we are walking by sight and walk down the path of faith. While, there are many obstacle that stand in our path preventing us from moving forward, the greatest obstacle standing in our path is our own unbelief. We often believe that God can move mountains out of other peoples lives but fail to believe He can exert that same power to move the molehill out of ours.
"I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"
(Mark 9:24b)
We are currently seeking Him to perform a miracle in our nation, but are we willing to let Him perform the necessary surgery on our hearts? Those same powerful hands that can turn a wayward nation upside down have within them the gentleness to handle our weakened hearts. But when He starts reaching for our hearts that's when it gets a little too personal. Healing won't come until we repent and learn to trust and rely on Him fully. That is what our Proclaim Liberty fast has been all about - experiencing fully the freedom we have been given in Christ Jesus (Reference Galatians 5:1) - this requires belief and obedience (reference John 14:21, 23).
"You of little faith, why are you so afraid?"
(Matthew 8:26)
What was it that caused David to run boldly toward the battle line to confront a giant (reference 1 Samuel 17:48); Moses to step off dry land into the depths of the Red Sea (reference Exodus 14:21); Esther to cross over the threshold into the kings throne room (reference Esther 4:11; 5:1); and the numerous other faithful ones who crossed the line of fear into faith (reference Hebrews 11)? What led them to go boldly forward instead of turning tail and running in fear (reference Hebrews 10:39)?
They left behind their fear of man and moved forward with faith in God. They stood firmly rooted in the knowledge that their God is a faithful God Who has shown His faithfulness time and time again (reference Deuteronomy 7:9). Their faith was activated based on knowledge - knowledge that their God is living, active, powerful, personal, sovereign, unchanging, always faithful and fully in control - and whose plans always prevail! With that knowledge written on their hearts and engraved on their minds, they went forward by faith!
"But my righteous one will live by faith."
(Habakkuk 2:4b; Hebrews 10:38a)
It is this faith that is rewarded - not blind faith - but faith that has been fed with the precepts of God's Word and is activated by past promises that are, for us, a present reality and a future hope. We see this faith exemplified in the woman who bled for twelve years and who simply reached out to Jesus, believing, "If I just touch His clothes, I will be healed" (Mark 9:28). The desire to touch her Lord touched His heart and tapped into His power. Faith grabbed hold of Him and Jesus felt the power flow out of Him (reference Mark 5:30). Her endless flow of blood was replaced with His endless supply of power!
Do we realize the power that is available to us if we would simply reach out to our Lord and touch Him like this woman did? Instead of turning His head to see where all His power is flowing to, we cause Him (because of our lack of faith) to endlessly search for a faithful heart, questioning, "...when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth (Luke 18:18)?"
"Will their lack of faith nullify God's faithfulness?"
(Romans 3:3b)
Once a year the High Priest would enter behind the curtain of the Most Holy Place to seek atonement on behalf of the people; that veil has been removed and we now have full access to His presence (reference Leviticus 16; Matthew 27:51). Our Lord Jesus shed His precious blood to open wide the door, so we would leave fear behind and move forward by faith to approach the throne of grace. "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer" (Matthew 21:22)
"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the
heavens, Jesus the Son of God,
let us hold firmly to the faith we profess."
(Hebrews 4:14)
Our commitment to prayer and fasting (and feasting on His Word!) has been a time of preparation to guide us as we move forward in faith, willingly and obediently, continuing down the path He has laid before us. The spiritual dry ground we may have covered during our 40 day journey, as He washed us with the water through the Word of God, is meant to be a memorial and testimony to His faithfulness as Sustainer, Provider, and Guide; just as much as Joshua's stones from the Jordan River were a testimony of God's faithfulness to act on behalf of His people (reference Joshua 4: 20-24).
"...you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance."
(James 1:3)
This journey, my friend, is not over and it's not going to get any easier. We can expect that the days ahead of us will be far more challenging and difficult as the spiritual and moral fabric of our nation continues to wear thin. We must hold fast to all that the Lord has shown us these 40 days as He has used this time to prepare us to stand firm in the faith to face the battle that is ahead.
"When the earth and all its pillars quake,
it is I Who hold its pillars firm."
