Believe

BELIEVE

a prayer to open

Here I am, Lord. Quiet my mind. Open my heart.

Give me ears to hear your invitation and the faith to respond.

The leader of a synagogue came and knelt before [Jesus]. “My daughter has just died,” he said, “but you can bring her back to life again if you just come and lay your hand on her.”

So Jesus and his disciples got up and went with him. Just then a woman who had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding came up behind him. She touched the fringe of his robe, for she thought, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.”

Jesus turned around, and when he saw her he said, “Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.” And the woman was healed. . . .

When Jesus arrived at the official’s home, he saw the noisy crowd and heard the funeral music. “Get out!” he told them. “The girl isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.” But the crowd laughed at him. . . . Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand, and she stood up! The report of this miracle swept through the entire countryside.

After Jesus left the girl’s home, two blind men followed along behind him, shouting, “Son of David, have mercy on us!” . . .

Jesus asked them, “Do you believe I can make you see?”

“Yes, Lord,” they told him, “we do.”

Then he touched their eyes and said, “Because of your faith, it will happen.” Then their eyes were opened, and they could see! Jesus sternly warned them, “Don’t tell anyone about this.” But instead, they went out and spread his fame all over the region.

In today’s passage, we see Jesus perform three stunning miracles: healing a chronically sick woman, raising a dead girl to life, and restoring the sight of two blind men. But Matthew reports these miracles so matter-of-factly and quickly that we are apt to miss their significance. Through miracles, Jesus implicitly invited people to believe that he was the one God had promised to send to his people—the Messiah and King who would save and restore. And if Jesus was the Messiah-King, then God had kept his promises, and God’s Kingdom had arrived. Jesus is still inviting us to believe he is the one who saves, heals, and restores.

• Imagine being present to witness one of the miracles we read about in today’s passage. What do you see around you? What words and noises do you hear? What do you feel as Jesus acts to bring restoration? What does Jesus want you to believe about him in that moment?
• Read today’s passage again slowly. What invitation do you sense Jesus extending to you? What is he asking you to believe?
• Do you have friends or family members who say they are Christians but seem unsure or unclear about who Jesus is? Seek God’s guidance as to how you might be able to extend them an invitation to believe.

Loving God, thank you for this invitation from Jesus to believe that he is the fulfillment of your promises to bring healing and restoration and that he is the one who saves and brings life. Grant me experiences that will deepen and expand my faith and allow me to surrender to you more fully. Bring to my mind or allow my path to cross with someone who is stuck in his or her faith, and use me to strengthen that individual’s belief in Jesus. Amen.