Today I want to share something that has captured my interest! I usually share things that I have spent much time studying for myself and add the things that I have learned. I have never actually thought a lot about this, from Andrew Womack's daily devotional!
WHOSE FAITH WAS IT
Luke
7:13-14 "And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said
unto her, Weep not, And he came and touched the bier: and they that bear him
stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise."
LUKE 7:11-17
This example of the
widow's son being raised from the dead is often used to demonstrate that Jesus
produced many miracles without any faith from those receiving the miracle, but
by His faith alone. However, the prayer in Mark 6:5-6 shows that Jesus could not
(nor would not) do many mighty works in His home town because of the people's
unbelief. Many scriptures reveal that faith must be present to receive from God
(Mark 11:23-24; James 1:5-7).
So, whose faith was
present in this instance? First, the mother of the boy responded to Jesus in
faith. For this woman to allow Jesus to interrupt the funeral procession and
tell her to stop weeping has to be viewed as a positive response. These people
were no different from mourners at funerals today. If she had rebelled at
Jesus' intrusion, the crowd would have sided with her because of pity, but none
of these reactions are recorded. Jesus was in command.
Second, it cannot be
proven that a dead person has no choice in what happens. We may take it for
granted, but the scriptures don't state that. A person doesn't cease to exist
at death; he simply leaves his body. The person is still very much alive. Many
people who have been raised from the dead have mentioned that they had a choice
in whether or not to enter their bodies again. Although this principle cannot
be verified by scripture, it cannot be ruled out by scripture either.
In any case, to be
consistent with the rest of scripture, some degree of faith had to be present
in either the person receiving the miracle, or an intercessor (in this case,
the mother). Reach out in faith to receive your miracle today.
I really like so much of what he is saying here! The thought that this mother COULD have kept the funeral procession moving, but did not! Did she have a renewed hope because she had heard so much about Jesus? The TRUTH that we will NEVER die! I was also thinking that maybe this young man had never committed himself to God yet! This should be a fun study for you to check it out alongside of the Word of God! As our partner, Rick Renner, likes to say - something for you to THINK ABOUT! While you're thinking, here is Hillsong Young and Free with "Lifeline":
Shalom in Him!
