Not Worried
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:6
In Luke 17:5, the apostles said something to Jesus I often include in my prayers. They said, "Lord, increase our faith."He responded by explaining that even if they only have faith the size of a mustard seed, they could command a tree to be uprooted and it would be so. That is so little faith require of us, considering his love, goodness, mercy and faithfulness towards us can only be measured by something much, much, larger than seeds. With all that God gifts to us, its good to know we can please Him by exercising our faith. It pleases Him to know that we believe in Him, even though we can't see Him. Faith is a gift from God that can be strengthened by studying His works and words. Read your Bible, and your faith will grow!
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17
“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”1 Peter 1:8-9
Living with HS, there are times when my faith is extremely weak while worry and fear grow strong and dominant in my mind. There are times I want to give up and believe things will ever get better. I can convince myself that this disease will paralyze me and there is no point in looking forward to the future. Instead of believing God has a plan, a great plan, an abundant plan, for my life, there are times when let worry take control over my thoughts and I begin to stress about how this disease will affect my life. Will the disease spread to other areas? Will I have to be on medications forever? Will I have to have surgery? How many surgeries? Will I recover okay? How long will it take to recover? What will the scars look like? How long will I be out of work? How will I make money? Will my kids have to deal with this, too? However, it's never long before I'm reminded, by God Himself, who holds my future. He tells me not to worry, and that when I am weak, then I am strong. Thankfully, even when our faith is frail, it's enough.
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. Luke 12:25-31
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-11
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4
There are many instances of Jesus healing the sick instantly, because of their faith. There is the man with leprosy in Matthew 8, the blind beggar in Luke 18, and the woman with the issue of blood in Luke 8, just to name a few. One of my favorites can be found in Matthew 8, where a man approached Jesus, just like many had done before, and asked him to heal his servant who was laying paralyzed at his home. When Jesus suggests visiting his home to perform the miracle, the man humbly insisted that his home wasn't worthy enough to have Jesus enter it. Instead, he requested of His Lord to "just say the word, and my servant will be healed. "When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, 'Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith'" (Matthew 8:10). I love that this man was able to amaze Jesus with the amount of faith he put in Him. He believed with all his heart that Jesus did not need to come over, or lay hands, or do anything fancy in order for his servant to be healed. He believed that all he needed was for Jesus to say it and it would be so. That kind of faith shocked even Jesus, himself. Needless to say, the man's great faith was rewarded accordingly, with the instant healing of his servant at home.
I don't know about you, but I want to impress God with my faith, too. I want to offer him faith that is better and bigger than the basic, minimum, mustard seed. God amazes me with His great love and faithfulness everyday and although I could never do it as well as God does, I just want do the same in return, to the best of my ability. Jesus made it clear: Even the smallest amount of faith is enough. I'm going to strive to give Him much more than that. I will be confident in my belief that my world is safe in His hands and that he will heal me and give me hope and an abundant future. I am going to exercise my faith daily, not because more faith means more rewards, but simply because it pleases Him.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6