The summer heat was sweltering. I mean, the kind where your Mom made a fan out of the church bulletin and your Dad tugged at his collar – anything for a little relief. I couldn’t have been more than ten years old but I had heard of the man that was coming to preach that night. He sat quietly on the front pew of the little country church in Welch, Texas. The preacher was a big man and even though he hadn’t dispensed his fiery sermon yet, he was covered in sweat. The air conditioner in that tiny church was doing all it could and the good folks of that community had gone home to get box fans out of closets to bring to church to try to move some air around. Ahhhhh…..gospel meetings in the summer.
Following the song after the main prayer, the preacher ambled his way to the pulpit. I remember thinking that all in the world I wanted to do was run outside to try and get a little bit of the evening air and play in the tractor tire that was out back of the church. Maybe grab some homemade ice cream out of the fellowship hall that was waiting patiently for the congregation that evening. Meanwhile, this particular preacher had no problem cutting through the sound of an old window unit squeaking and no less than eight box fans roaring in the back of the room. He paced the floor. He roared. He got more red in the face. Yes! Surely this man knew what he was speaking about! He roamed the aisle between the two rows of pews. Somehow he managed to almost turn purple in the face. His voice shook the roof some more. I moved just a little closer to my Dad.
And then it happened……
He stopped and looked at me. In fact, he scared me to death. I felt like I had done something wrong. All of a sudden, visions of tractor tires and ice cream vanished like a leaf in a hurricane. I stared right back at him as slowly walked towards me. Had he read my mind? Did he know about the ice cream? He lowered his voice and almost whispered the words, “Son, will you go get me a cup of water?” I jumped and was off like a shot to the water fountain armed with a Dixie cup.
From then on, I listened to every word he said. I was struck by his delivery. He was passionate and sincere. He had my full attention. On the way home I asked my Dad what all he was talking about. Dad explained to me that the preacher was talking about living a life in faith. It wasn’t about saying you believed in God. It was about believing in God. It was about living that kind of faith. He explained the difference to me. It is something I’ve never forgotten and it’s something that I try to live every day.
Jesus knew how to get people’s attention too. In fact, the message in Matt 7:21-8:13 was sure to have everyone on the edge of their seat. The Pharisees were adamant that their actions would save them. It was all about style over substance. There are more than a few examples of this throughout the New Testament. Jesus’ message was so radical to them. Pray in secret? Matt 6:5-15 is very clear that our faith is one of a very personal nature. Jesus listens to our heart, not our mouth.
The question and answer session I had with my Dad on the way back to our home that night is one that I still hold very near to my heart. What was the difference between thinking or saying you believed in God as opposed to believing in God? Believing is an action. It is almost tangible. I don’t get into boats that I think will float. I get into boats I BELIEVE will float. It is more earnest. It is pure. It is alive and breathing. We have two outstanding examples in this passage that demonstrates what our faith needs to be – it is one that doesn’t THINK God can do all things. It is one that BELIEVES God can do all things.
Matt 8:1-4 is fantastically simple and powerful. A man with nothing to lose and everything to gain simply says, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” This is a man who believes in Jesus and his power. Immediately he is cured.
Matt 8:5-13 is another account of how simple our faith needs to be – just believe. Pay attention to the last paragraph of the story. “Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.” His servant was healed that very hour.
We will encounter this passage in a few days but I believe it ties in well. In Matt 9:27-31 Jesus is approached by two blind men. Jesus asks a very simple question – “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” Read on for the ending (I promise you’ll like it).
Question:
Today I challenge you to question yourself. Do you believe that God can do all things or do you think that he can?