Only Believe

And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.
— Mark 5:34

Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
— Mark 9:23

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.
— Hebrews 11:1, Romans 8:24-25

By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
— Hebrews 11:8-10

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
— James 1:2-7

Only Believe, by Martin Luther.

Be not afraid, only believe.
— Mark 5:36c

The first thing to follow faith is prayer, for it is a fruit of faith. As fire cannot be without heat, faith cannot be without prayer. The ruler of the synagogue had but one trust and desire, namely, that his daughter would be healed. He prays and makes supplication more heartily than all words on earth could ever express. Faith stirs him to go to Christ without fear. He does not consider Christ’s superiority and his own inferiority. As a drunkard is rash to go wherever his feet lead him, this man goes where his heart leads him. He is spiritually drunk. We shall also pray in this manner and not start with our understanding and consider whether something will happen or not. We should not doubt that God is able and willing to do it, but rather we are to erupt into words as we call unto Him. Our need will teach us what to say. When the heart speaks to God, it is not necessary to first learn a method of praying.

The ruler of the synagogue prays, my daughter is even now dead, but come, and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live. You can find the history in Matthew 9. The words He speaks are simple, but wonderful words. The faith in the heart of the father, the ruler of the synagogue, is a greater miracle than the raising of his daughter. Our mind will teach us to serve God and reconcile ourselves to him by visible sacrifices or by exercises invented by men. Faith, however, directs itself towards the unseen. It believes those things which are not seen by the eyes. The most difficult tribulation is when after waiting very long for the Lord, a lot of things happen that are perceived as incomprehensible and absurd by our mind. He who waits and trusts, even when his hope is deferred, will find that God is true and keeps His promise.

The nature of faith is that it deals with those things which you do not see or feel. It deals with them as if we possessed them already. The only comfort we have is that we know that God cannot lie or deceive. Unbelief will always see and feel where to go, but that does not always happen. Faith speaks, I know not where to go, but I will continue. I do not see and feel, but I commit myself in the hands of him who said, cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee, Psalm 55:22. On His word I keep myself going, He cannot lie. In this way we receive life, but we do not see it, we see the contrary. From whence do I know? Only by the promise of God. He will not forsake all those that trust in Him.

https://takeupcross.com
takeupcross