Day 19 - A Faith That Pursues

Posted by Mary Manning

Matthew 9:27-30 (NLT) 
    [27] After Jesus left the girl’s home, two blind men followed along behind him, shouting, “Son of David, have mercy on us!”  [28] They went right into the house where he was staying, and Jesus asked them, “Do you believe I can make you see?  “Yes, Lord,” they told him, “we do.”
    [29] Then he touched their eyes and said, “Because of your faith, it will happen.” [30] And suddenly they could see!

We’ve all had times in our own lives when we’ve desired an immediate answer from God, and He made us wait like the men in this story.  Notice in the story that the men had to pursue Jesus all the way to the next home before He would heal their blindness.  Why do you think this is the case?  Jesus was testing their faithfulness and persistence.  Only when they exemplified true faith through their persistence did Jesus heal them.

This story reminds me of a mission trip I took in college.  I felt God leading me to work in an orphanage in Honduras.  To test my faithfulness and check where my heart was, I had to raise my own money to pay my way.  Without faith in God’s plan and persistence to see the plan through, I feel as though I would have missed out on an opportunity to experience Him in a real and tangible way.  I’ll never forget that trip and the children that I worked with all because of faithfulness to follow God’s plan.

Are you searching for answer to a prayer but don’t have it yet?  I would encourage you to remember this passage from Matthew, and remember to be faithful in your pursuit of God’s will.  He will reveal His perfect plan, and you will experience His holiness in your life.

PRAYER:  “Dear God, thank you for your unconditional love.  More importantly, thank you for your patience when I become impatient.  Please help me to constantly pursue You and to be faithful to Your plan.  In your Son Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”

POINT TO PONDER:  Faithfully pursue God even when you don’t receive an immediate response from Him.