You Gotta Have Faith

I was reading through Luke yesterday when I read about a woman who touched Jesus and was healed:

...though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone. She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. And Jesus said, "Who was it that touched me?" When all denied it, Peter said, "Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!" But Jesus said, "Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me." And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace." -Luke 8:43-48 ESV (bold mine)

How many people were in the crowd that brushed against Jesus? How many were sick? All of them needed to have their sins forgiven, why weren't THEY healed from their sins? If Jesus was a magic healing guy, anyone would be healed just by touching him. But it doesn't work that way. The only way to be healed by Jesus is by having faith in him.

Sometimes we can pray the prayer that says, "God, if it's your will, please heal this person." No doubt this can sometimes be an appropriate prayer, but I betcha more often than not, this prayer is prayed because we lack faith. Ask God to increase your faith. Learn to trust and depend on Jesus more. We can unleash the healing power of God by having faith that He is all-powerful.