By Rebekah Wehmeyer
Matthew 9:28 (AMP)
When He went into the house the blind men came up to Him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe [with a deep, abiding trust] that I am able to do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.”
In this story of Jesus healing two blind men, Jesus’ question to the blind men caught my attention. “Do you believe?” The verses prior to today’s Bible passage state that the men followed Jesus outside and asked Him to have mercy on them. Then, they proceeded to pursue Jesus further as He retreated indoors. I can’t help but think these men wouldn’t have been so intent on hunting Jesus down if they didn’t think He could heal them. Surely, they heard others in the town talk about all the miracles Jesus had performed. But what if Jesus was asking a deeper question? The Amplified version of today’s verse describes belief as: “with a deep, abiding trust.” Was Jesus also asking, “Do you trust me?”
If we believe and trust Jesus to do the miraculous, does that trust extend when the answer is “no” and His working looks anything but miraculous?
It’s great to read about miracles where Jesus’ answer is “yes,” but if you’re like me, you’ve had times in your life where the answer was a big fat “no” even if you firmly believed in His ability. The story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from Daniel 3:17-18 comes to mind. They confessed that God WAS able to perform the miracle of saving them, but EVEN IF He did not, they wouldn’t give in to the king’s demand. Deep, abiding trust is about believing in Jesus’ power to do the miraculous while still believing in His perfect will EVEN IF He doesn’t perform the miracle. I pray Jesus continues to develop and deepen our trust as we walk with Him.
Pray with me…
Dear Jesus, thank You for giving us glimpses into Your power and might through these miracle stories. Help us to not only believe You can do the impossible, but also be so firmly rooted with trust in You that we cling to You no matter our circumstances. Amen.