Good Morning Friends,
Patience is a virtue but often it is God’s patience waiting for our action of faith that is the tipping point of grace. In today’s scripture, we have a message for those who think they are living by faith but not getting the results they had hoped for. No disrespect here but, Are We Waiting For God To Answer Our Prayers Without Taking Any Responsibility?
Scripture: Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show every courtesy to everyone. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, despicable, hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Titus 3:1-7 (NRSV)
On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”
Luke 17:11-19 (NRSV)
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert;
Isaiah 35:5-6 (NRSV)
Message: Many of us say we are living by faith but really do not understand that faith is more than simply believing God will take care of our health while we wait. Sure, God is in control and certainly excessive worry is inappropriate, but scripture is not always clear for me when it comes to faith and appropriate actions. Reason alone does not give us the right answer. The faith in us is insufficient without the faith of Jesus backing it up prompting action of the Spirit in us. Still, we should not be a barrier to God working by not applying Scripture to our lives or worse applying it in error. That is why a good leader is important in deciding issues. For, at our core, I do not know anyone who really likes waiting. It can be a test of our beliefs and even make us less thankful. Sometimes there are good reasons to wait. So, what are we to do when we are waiting? How are we to cure ingratitude that might develop in the wait? Perhaps the first thing to do is to realize that while we are waiting, it really takes a lot of effort to believe that God hears our prayers for healing and belonging and answers all prayers but not always in the way we had hoped for. To have a desired response we need to be connected to a power that keeps our physical and spiritual hearts beating to God’s music. Like the Israelites in the desert, we need the Spirit guiding and directing us. Of course, sometimes waiting is a process that is dictated by law and scripture and at other times it is awaiting something very new. The thing is that we are to have a degree of expectation that something desired and miraculous is going to happen. In today’s Gospel text, we have a story within a story for the healing of people that was tied up into the story of the coming of the Messiah and the reality is that Israel had been waiting a very long time for this to happen. The Jewish lepers had been waiting too but ultimately still relied on the law. Maybe the Samaritan was healed as a demonstration of a new way through Christ. It was more that interesting that the Samaritan who had been part of the leper colony could not return to be part of the larger Jewish community once healed. But regardless his healing is the whole healing and not just the physical one. And it is this faith in something new and whole that glorifies God. Miraculous healing aside, what I do know is that having a vital religious faith can contribute to preventing and in conquering mental illness and by that, I mean our inability to love God and others as ourselves. The act of putting these devotionals together is an act of helping my own mental health. The thing is that the expression of our faith in a religious community has a role to play in our personal health seeking wholeness. Certainly, religion does not cure all mental illnesses, but its importance should not be overlooked. And one of the issues is our desensitization to touch which is exasperated during the pandemic. Friends, not having the sensation of touch is a very serious physical problem for people with leprosy, but it is also a serious spiritual problem as well for those with addictions as well. Not feeling by self-medicating is perhaps one of the most challenging of sins, but not having faith to believe in a cure is perhaps worse. Yes, leprosy is a metaphor for sin, the worst of all human diseases that separate sufferers from society. And the problem in part is because those with it have an ailment that makes one numb. And that goes for our sins as well. And mental illness can be like that too. The beauty is that Christ’s faith helps us to go the extra mile in addressing the problem. Christ’s faith helps us to do great works as a moral response to the life we have been given. Christ’s faith saves us from a life of mediocrity. Christ’ faith is essentially the incarnate knowledge and affirmation that our experience of God will be revealed. And when we trust in and wait for the Holy Spirit to help us to obey Jesus’ transformative way this faith guides us to act in a moral way that glorifies God. In so doing we gain life in abundance in relationship with God through the gift of believing that whatever happens God will in time redeem it for a purpose. This heals us. This answers prayers in the affirmative. It is the foundation of God’s faithfulness in us.
And So, there are several barriers in us that make our response and thankfulness and love less effective. First and foremost, there is our pride and related to that our greater bond with the world than with God. We spend time on the wrong passions. And we love to sin and therefore find it impossible to confess that which is a barrier to our effectiveness. Related to that, sometimes we often never forgive ourselves even though we believe God has forgiven us. We fail to make the connection between faith and forgiveness. Believing that Jesus takes away our sin is at the foundation of a life that can be lived with love. Therefore the answer to today’s question goes beyond the power of positive thinking, though it may well be related. The answer hinges on the reality that we all need to be forgiven to be healthy and we need to believe in the power of this forgiveness. For believing in forgiveness is a healing that is beyond reasoning but at the same time the sanest act we can exhibit as humans. For here we share in the process of salvation through love that heals in the power of the Holy Spirit because it at the same time glorifies God. So, know that Jesus gave to his disciples in the Gospel of Luke the power and authority to cure diseases and to heal the sick. And sometimes it worked and sometimes it did not. Regardless, we can be grafted into the corporate experience of worship which results in peace of mind, freedom of action and true strength that is the foundation of our healing relationship with God. This is how a vital Christian faith provides us a sense of personal significance, personal security and a sense of spiritual power. This is how believing in God’s faithfulness heals us individually and corporately. This is how what seem to be unanswered prayers become answered to God’s glory. Being thankful for our situation in life is a good thing for the very attitude that makes things better. God is good. Just look at all the Lord has given us. Every good and perfect gift is really from above. But even the bad things can help us to learn a very good lesson. The thing is that everything we enjoy we enjoy because of God and expressing that joy multiplies the gifts. So, we are to learn to be thankful for grace and the free and boundless mercy of God. We are to learn to be thankful for the life we have been given. Here we learn that the Christian life is really living one big “Thank you.” For God loves us and we are to do something about that blessing we have received. And that makes the waiting worth it and our actions in response to needs motivated out of love. And that makes all the difference in the world when God’s love balances assertiveness, belonging, active engagement and reflection in our lives making forgiveness real and intentional.
Pray we expect a miracle. Pray we embrace with thanksgiving the powerful presence of prayer in its healing properties. Pray we realize that God is faithful to the Gospel in practical and spiritual ways. Pray for the faith of Jesus to grow in us both comforting and convincing us that we can be healed. Pray we affirm God with a healthy apprehension that we are not in control, but trust that God has our best interests at heart. Pray therefore we too have compassion for those in need.Pray we clearly hear God’s directions through the teachings of Jesus and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Pray we have the faith of Jesus in us to heal us. Pray that we learn to obey the law of love. Pray we discern God’s will with the purpose of glorifying God as the focus of our actions. Pray we have a faith that imparts to us that indeed we have been wonderfully made by God. Pray that those with illness in our society conquer at least some of their problems by believing in the words of Jesus that faith has made them well. Pray that we believe in the therapy of touch. Pray we believe in the therapy of faith. Pray that we believe in the therapy of love. Pray we be obedient to the Spirit. Pray we honor God with our faith. Pray that we have faith that prompts action, obedience, and thankfulness. Pray we remind each other of our Christian responsibilities. Pray we remember that we are loved by God.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 