The Everyday Prayer

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 9:18-19; 23-26 (day five)

 But Jesus turning and seeing her said, “Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well.” At once the woman was made well.

Jesus teaches an amazing lesson in this text.  Faith overcomes fear. Fear is still there, it just doesn’t have the priority and influence over her heart and desire to “get near and touch Jesus”.  It’s all through scripture.  God constantly reminds His faith-filled followers to be brave, be strong, have courage, do not fear.  When fear overtakes faith, to God it looks like we don’t trust Him.

“To turn from him out of fear… is to discount all that God promises to be for those who fear him. It is a great insult. And in such an insult God can take no pleasure. On the other hand, when we hear God’s promises and trust him with courage… then he is greatly honored. And in that he has much pleasure. – John Piper

When we look and think of the present and future through the lens of the gospel, we are reminded of God’s love, power, and faithfulness. Then faith rightly  overcomes fear and God is pleased.  Strengthen your faith today-  Look, listen, and think through the lens of the Gospel- God’s promises and power.

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 9:18-19; 23-26 (day four)

It is Christmas morning as I write this blog post…a day when the birth of Christ is foremost in our minds and hearts.  The question is, “will I remember Him so readily the rest of the year?”  The miracles we have studied this week and the past several weeks have shared a common denominator…Jesus has attributed the miracle to faith.  When a need arises, often my first thoughts are…”how can I solve this need?”  If Christ is foremost in my mind, I would go to Him just as Jairus, the Synagogue official did.  Maybe the ‘miracles’ we see in Scripture would be common-place in our lives if we walked by faith.  “Only believe”…that’s what Jesus said.  Only believe and you will see the power of God work in your life.  Only believe and people will be drawn to Christ because they saw Him at work in you.  Only believe and you will be walking in obedience.  Only believe!

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 9:18-19; 23-26 (day three)

“The girl has not died, but is asleep.”

Jesus does not use a euphemism here. As far as we can tell, he does not aim to downplay or dress up death. Jesus talks this way because in the presence of God, death does not possess finality. Jesus raises this girl to life to show everyone who’s looking that this girl’s ultimate future is life again in the body. Now, she would certainly die again in this age, but neither she nor her family would look at death In the same way anymore, because Christ altered what death had the power to do to the human race. For all who count on Christ, death has become sleep for the body, and most of your days are yet to come. That’s exactly the kind of reality everyone longs for, whether or not they’ve ever articulated it.

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 9:20-22 (day two)

And a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years, came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak; ²¹ for she was saying to herself, “If I only touch His garment, I will get well.” ²² But Jesus turning and seeing her said, “Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well.” At once the woman was made well.

“When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭2:15‬ ‭

The shepherds knew little of who this child was or would be. They had an angelic visitation that told of his birth, and they went to be near this child…and their lives were changed.

The ailing woman knew enough about Jesus that she, too, desired to be near him, and her faith in him made her well.

This is the heart of the gospel. Get near Jesus. You will be changed. Merry Christmas.

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 8:23-27 and Matthew 1:18-25 (day seven)

In Matthew 1, we see an angel speak to Joseph with the words, “Do not be afraid.” In Matthew 8, we see Jesus speak to his disciples on the boat saying, “Why are you afraid?” The angel and Jesus both understood something that Joseph and the disciples were having trouble seeing in their moments of despair: God is always in control. God always has a plan.

Fear is our inherent response to losing control over a situation. As humans, we like to be the one who holds the reins. That is why faith becomes so difficult for some people. Faith means that you may not see the means to the end, but you must hand the reins over to someone who does. What we need to realize is that God had the reins the whole time. He was in the boat. He was working in Joseph’s life. He had a plan. He was in control. Stepping out in faith may seem to be a blind move, but it is actually the most perceptive decision we can make. What step of faith do you need to take?

I once was told,  you only need to worry if the flight attendants are afraid. I’ve been on some harrowing flights, at least ones I thought were harrowing, but I have never been on a flight when the attendant was afraid. That was always the clue that we were going to be okay. I might throw up, but we will be okay.

That’s part of the message Jesus provides in this practical lesson. Don’t watch the storm, keep your eyes on me. When we keep Jesus in view, we find him unflinchingly steadfast, like an anchor. No worry or fear crosses his face; you would only need to worry if it does.

Which is never. He’s the Prince of Peace.

Merry Christmas!

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 8:23-27 (day five) “The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?””  The disciples were constantly learning about the nature and character of Jesus. It must have been difficult for them in one moment to see the humanity (ordinariness of Jesus- asleep in the boat) and in the next to witness the true Divinity of Jesus. They, like us, were settled in a perception and perspective of who Jesus was. He shatters those in a powerful display with His words to the storm. I imagine the text of familiar words in Psalm 89 came quickly to mind. “O LORD God of hosts, who is like You, O mighty LORD? Your faithfulness also surrounds You. You rule the swelling of the sea; When its waves rise, You still them.”

They were learning (crash course) who Jesus was. Each day, moment by moment, we have that same opportunity to learn and discover more about the nature and character of our Lord and Savior- storms, victories, tragedies, and struggles.  Will you look in His Word and look around so that you may learn and discover more about Him than you knew and understood yesterday?

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 8:23-27 (day four)

What are the waves that are crashing around you?  As the disciples looked around them, all they could see was the wind and the waves of the Sea of Galilee.  Their circumstances overwhelmed them…they believed that they were going to die.

Jesus’ question to them when they awoke Him was ‘where is your faith?’  The disciples had not seen Jesus’ command of the natural elements yet.  They had seen Him heal the sick and cast out the demons, but this was different.  Their practical knowledge of the sea dictated to them that they were going to drown.

We can be overwhelmed with our circumstances and fears too.  Maybe our waves are financial needs or relationships in our family or failing health…whatever they are, we are overwhelmed.  Where is our faith?  Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Light…” (John 14:6)  Ask Jesus, “What is the Truth of my circumstances?”  Don’t doubt, trust in Him in faith!

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 8:23-27 ((day three)

“Jesus himself was asleep.”

What had to have been true for Jesus to have slept soundly in the ship’s hold while a violent storm roiled the waters of the lake? At the very least, Jesus knew that the universe had not decided his fate. That was neither its prerogative nor its power. Did that mean drowning was out of the question? Not at all. “Natural disasters” occurred then, as now. Yet Jesus slept deeply. His sleep was not an object lesson – he really did sleep – but it was instructive. The act of sleeping said to his disciples, “I am at home in God’s good creation.” It’s what we might call a “grounding exercise” these days, but Jesus wrote the book on it. You are where you are on God’s earth, breathing God’s air, whatever else is true. Start there, and peace rises within.