Do You Believe?

Jesus was a magnet for sick people, and rightly so since being God, He had the power to heal. One day He was followed by two blind men who called out, "Son of David, have mercy on us!" Jesus asked them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" When they responded, "Yes, Lord," Jesus healed them. (See Matthew 9:28b)

When I read this the other week, I stopped and thought about its implications. Jesus asked if they believed He could heal them. Why would He do this? There are some groups out there that would claim that Jesus only heals if you have enough faith to be healed. I find their theology faulty since it is God, not us, who heals and controls the means of healing. There have been times when He has healed non-believers to show His glory and majesty. They lacked faith at first, yet God healed and often they developed a profession of faith.

So if it wasn't a matter of faith, then what? I wonder if these men had originally followed Jesus because of the crowds. Maybe they saw an opportunity for alms, but as they followed along, they realized that Jesus had something better to offer them. Maybe Jesus was asking them to confirm out loud what their hearts were beginning to tell them: that they were now truly believing Jesus was God and that He could heal their hearts as well as their eyes.

There are times when God has given us a promise; maybe it's a healing or an opportunity. But the promise is slow in coming. Have you checked the attitude of your heart? Is your lack of faith in the ability of God blocking your belief in what He can and has promised to do? Are we hindering God because we refuse to believe His Word? Jesus couldn't heal in Nazareth because of the people's lack of faith. He could have healed, but their hearts were too hard to accept the blessings He could have bestowed.

Do you believe God is able to do what He says? Check your heart and make sure you truly believe.