Tag Archives: Bible

It Will Happen

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Then He touched their eyes, saying, “It shall be done to you according to your faith.” Matt 9:29 NASB

In another translation (NLT) it reads: “Because of your faith, it will happen.”

This verse caused me to stop and ponder. What will happen Lord? I get it that this is a direct quote from Jesus in reference to two blind men who evidently heard about him healing a young girl who had died. The Word tells us that the news of this miracle spread throughout the region. Good news travels…fast. The two men, who had evidently heard this good news, pursued Jesus, wanting him to heal their blind eyes. When they were in his presence, they shouted to him, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” These men were asking Jesus to help them in their current state, and Jesus answered them with a question: “Do you believe I am able to do this?” And they replied, “Yes, Lord.”

This entire event is curious to me; two men pursued him. How often have you observed two blind people together? I’m not implying this is an impossible thing, only that it’s out of the ordinary that two blind men would be hanging out together, get wind of what just happened to a young dead girl who was then raised up to life again, and decide that they should pursue the One who was responsible for this great miracle. As they follow after Jesus, he goes into another house and one translation says they followed him right into the house. This is a bold move by two men who are probably used to being swept aside in life. No one gives them any notice usually, they are just blind men.

But here’s the thing. Jesus didn’t rebuke them for being so bold as to follow Him into the house. Can you imagine walking into your house or someone else’s house, and two blind men follow you right on into the home? Our reaction would be one of astonishment and perhaps even anger. “What exactly do you think you’re doing here? Please go out the way you came right this instant!” we might reply. Or worse. This defies common sense and decorum. But something is different here. They’ve already shouted out to Jesus, while in the streets, that they desire Jesus to have mercy on them. It is not until they are in the house that Jesus turns to them and asks whether they believe he can do this thing. Their answer, “Yes, Lord,” reveals great faith. You see, the root word for Lord in this verse is something stronger, with much more meaning than a simple affirmative to his question. Lord here, is kurios in Greek, which translates to “supreme in authority.” Their faith in this man is strong and they believe He can do anything because He is supreme in this world.

-Have mercy on us, Son of David!

-Do you believe I am able to do this?

-Yes, Lord.

And His reply is, “Because of your faith, it will happen.”

-And their eyes were opened!

Where is your faith in the One? Do you see Jesus as the Supreme Authority in your life? Do you believe, above all else, that Jesus is the one, true God and He can do anything in your life? Do you live in a boldness of faith that helps you in times of need, in times of duress? Do you pursue Jesus more than you do doctors or experts or those of this world who seemingly have all the answers?

Some things to ponder here in this short exchange. I’m reminded of the verse, “Looking at them, Jesus said, “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.” Mark 10:27 NASB.

In a world that seems to be disappointing more and more, we might want to consider this little passage and ask ourselves whether or not we have faith in Jesus to the extent of expecting Him to do that which might seem impossible. He told us what to expect of Him…all things are possible with God! If I truly believe that, then you might just find yourself in a difficult situation where He is posing the same question.

“Do you believe I am able to do this?”

“Yes Lord”

“Because of your faith, it will happen”

Yep, I’m challenged today!

Like Chickens with Their Heads Cut Off

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The last two days have felt like something I witnessed as a child at my grandmother’s farm.  We were going to have fresh fried chicken for dinner this day and so of course, the chickens had to be butchered!  I followed my grandma out to the chicken coop where she quickly grabbed a couple of those plump chickens, methodically walked over to a tree stump there for just such moments, and with one skillful blow of the hatchet, chopped off a head and slammed the now headless chicken between a table in the yard and the back of the garage.  Pinned between the table and the building, their now headless bodies wriggled and flinched, legs scrambling in a useless attempt to get away.  As a child I was grossed out but fascinated at the same time; I finally understood where the saying, “like a chicken with its head cut off,” came from as the lesson wriggled there right in front of me.  The last two days I felt like those chickens.  Flailing mercilessly at an unseen opponent, not knowing whether to turn to the right or the left and, if I actually turned, I still wouldn’t know which way to go.

What do we do as Christians, when life changes and we find ourselves thrust into a situation that is foreign and uncomfortable, perhaps even seeming almost dangerous at the first? We do what our entire lives of listening to our pastors has taught us – run to Jesus! While I’m not going to give you a specific account of what my past two days contained, I’d like to share my process in the hopes you will gain a new strategy when you next find yourself in a “headless” state.

The news hit. My initial reaction was one of total dismay and almost simultaneously, emotions. OK, I get it, I’m a woman and I was made with emotions. A man might react differently, as my husband in fact did. While he remained calm, I fell apart. My mind catastrophized the incident; I went to every single negative place my mind could imagine as a result of this news. My husband, well I can’t rightly say where his mind went because he didn’t share much with me initially. I guess he was chewing, trying to get his logical mind around the situation.

Funny thing was that in spite of what I saw as very disturbing information, I was aware that I wanted, more than anything, for Jesus to show up in the mess. “What do you want me to do Lord? Where do I begin to unravel this mess?” I pleaded with God. I heard nothing. Coincidentally (I’m only using this word because it fits the moment, but not for even one second do I truly believe that when I cry out to Jesus, the things which follow are a coincidence), this day I received two phone calls. One from a Christian brother in our body, offering a “word from the Lord” for me. The word? It was a truly uplifting and wonderful word from the Lord, a true prophetic word of encouragement. The second call was from a Christian sister, also from our body, telling much the same as the first. As uplifting as both these calls were, they almost seemed like nonsense under the weight of what my husband and I were dealing with.

The next day was about the same. Same foreboding thoughts, same emotional response. That evening, yet another message from God from a very unsuspecting and kind man, who really had no idea what his message brought in the way of encouragement and comfort. The odd thing about all three of these contacts was they literally came out of left field. I can’t tell you the last time I’ve had someone in my church come up to me with a prophetic word! It’s probably been almost eight years ago when I was dealing with cancer and loving brothers and sisters in the Lord were interceding for me in that journey. It is with this in mind that I refute the coincidental nature of these words. I have walked with the Lord too long; whatever follows any cry to my Savior, has turned out to be His divine process in action and it is all to be savored.

So, three days into this the fog has lifted. Is it still disturbing? Yes. Is it still confounding? Yes. Do I have any inkling as to the outcome? No, not yet. But here’s where I land in the midst of this thing. I am to continue walking. I cannot guarantee it will be in a straight line because I don’t know what is waiting just around the corner in this unfolding drama. What I’ve come back to is that, in part because my sweet, sweet Lord saw fit to deliver three messages to me from people who have no idea what it’s all about, there is a way through. My job is to get my wits out of the drama of it and decide what the best course of action is – at this particular moment in time. Whatever comes from walking through this, I know He’s walking with me.

So, the line of defense is this:

1) Cry out to Jesus. Don’t wait. Don’t try to be strong. Just go to Him and tell Him what’s on your heart.
2) Allow yourself to settle in the process. Waiting two days was a torture of sorts, but I truly didn’t know what to do. So I went on with life as usual and continued praying about the situation.
3) Look for the Lord in the midst of the problem. In this case, it was the delivery of three distinct messages, sent from people in my life. I wasn’t absolutely sure of their meaning, so I continued on.
4) Determine the next logical step. For my husband and I, the next step was to go to our covering (our pastor) for his input.
5) Get into the Bible. We are searching through the Word for His truths. Our pastor gave us some really good advice on what to look for. Sometimes the relevance of the Word might look difficult to grasp but it really does address our needs in all areas of our lives. If you need help with this aspect, do not hesitate to go to your pastor or someone who is well versed in the Word for help.
6) Walk. We recognize this one is going to be a journey; it cannot be resolved today. So, we must continue on with our life as usual and we must trust that He is guiding us to what we need in this situation. We will continue to touch base with our pastor as we go.

If need be, go back to step one and start all over again!

I hope this might help you in your walk with Jesus. I may need to come back to this in a few days and remind myself of what I just said. But here’s the good news: I don’t feel like the headless chicken anymore. My peace is back. God wants me to have victory through this because He’s on my side. Hallelujah, His victories are coming!

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27 (NKJV)

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV)