Friday, February 22, 2008

Can or Will?

“When He entered the house, the blind men approached Him, and Jesus said to them, ‘Do you believe that I can do this?’” (Matthew 9:28 CSB)

Two men followed Jesus, either with the help of friends or by following the sound of the crowd, since they were blind. They evidently had heard from someone that this man from Nazareth could heal people, so they sought healing from Him. They found a way to follow Jesus into a house, and there Jesus responded to them.

The question Jesus asked these men is interesting. He did not ask them if they believe or if they had faith to be healed. Rather, He asked them, “Do you believe that I can do this?” His question focused not so much on the faith to be healed as it did on whether they believed He had the ability to do what they were asking. The question was more about Him than about them, that is, what they believed about Him. They responded that they did believe, and then Jesus said, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.” Then they were healed.

Sometimes we have the idea that, in order to be healed or otherwise blessed, we just have to ratchet up our faith in its intensity, thinking that if we just have enough faith we can be healed or blessed. The emphasis is on us and our ability. But this story shows us that healing or blessing depends really more on the ability of God. We seek God’s blessing or healing, we ask for it, and we believe He has the ability to do this, but at some point we just have to trust Him to do whatever is according to His will. Sometimes God heals, and sometimes He does not. Only He understands the reasons why He does or does not heal everyone. And we just have to trust Him.

Lord, You have all power, and certainly You have the ability to heal us or to bless us in ways that only You can bless. We seek this from You, and we simply trust You to carry out Your will. Amen.

No comments: