But when Jesus heard it, He answered him saying, “Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.” (Luke 8:50)
I’ve never been a serious scripture reader. However, one year during Lent, I committed to daily readings of scripture. I tried to give myself enough time to pray first and then listen to hear what God might want me to get from the passage. I would then read slowly so that certain passages or phrases might stand out and/or have special meaning. At times, nothing would leap out at me, but on occasion, it did. One time I’d been reading from the book of Luke and I got to the eighth chapter in which Jairus comes to Christ, seeking help for his dying daughter. Before they can get to her, someone comes to say that the daughter has died, and Jesus responds with the passage above.
No doubt about it! Those words did seem to leap off the page. “Do not be afraid, only believe.” I found myself saying those words over and over and realizing how hard I found this to do. Though I do believe, I often lack the faith to believe completely. I tend to believe with reservations. I’d like to fully believe, but often I don’t.
Today, I have accepted the paradox that the more I believe, the more I know I need help with my unbelief. Generally, it boils down to the fact that while I believe, I lack sufficient trust in certain areas. I know God cares for me—I know this without reservation. Still, when things don’t go my way, I hang on to faith and trust only so long before I begin to think of things I can do to help the situation. It’s hard for me to just sit back and allow the power of Spirit to do its work, even though I know that when I manage to do so, things work out much better overall.
Taken from “Talks with our Creator” for February 12th
godawarenessdaily 