God Blesses Those Who Believe
Backgrounder on Matthew 8-11:
Matthew shared ten miracles to
demonstrate Jesus’ power over
disease, nature & the spirit world.
Christ then bestows that same
power and authority on His chosen
apostles and sends them out
as ambassadors of the kingdom.
He first instructs them how to act,
then warns them of the dangers
they will face, as he calls them
to committed discipleship.
Lord, we come to You in Faith:
When He came down from the
mountain, a leper worshiped Him
saying: Lord if U are willing, U can
make me clean. Then Jesus put out
His hand and touched him saying:
I am willing, be cleansed. And
instantly the leprosy disappeared…
Now when Jesus had entered
Capernaum, a centurion came
pleading: Lord my servant is lying
at home paralysed. And Jesus said:
I will come and heal him. The
centurion answered: Only speak a
word & my servant will be healed…
Jesus said to those who followed:
I have not found such great faith
in Israel… Then Jesus said to the
centurion: Go your way; as you
have believed, so let it be done
for you. And his servant was
healed that same hour (Mt 8:1-13)
Lord, You who is our creator is
Almighty & nothing is beyond You.
And although you are sovereign,
from the account of the healing
of the leper we know you are
also compassionate and willing.
Hear my cry to Heal my friends
who are unwell. Jehovah Rapha,
our healer, You can make them
whole, touch their lives so that
they know you more deeply and
love You more than ever before.
Lord we realise from the centurion
account that our Faith determines
our experience of your power.
What we expect in our hearts
will largely determine what we
get in our experience. So Lord,
I Expect You to make Yourself
more real to me each day. And
I wait with eager anticipation for
You to do so. In Jesus’ name, Amen
Lord, Increase Our Faith in You:
Jesus got into the boat & started
across the lake with his disciples.
Suddenly a terrible storm came up
with waves breaking into the boat.
But Jesus was sleeping. The
disciples wake Him up shouting:
Lord, save us! And Jesus
answered: Why are you afraid?
You have so little faith (Mt 8:23-26)
Lord, we sometimes forget that
you are in the boat with us and
You rule over storms in our lives.
Increase our faith so that even
in the midst of great turbulence
we will not panic but will trust U
to care for us. Grant our spirits
be able to rest at all times because
Your presence is always greater
than any stormy circumstances
we will face through life. Amen.