Notes
When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him, "Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain."
Jesus said, "I will come and heal him."
But the officer said, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, 'Go,' and they go, or 'Come,' and they come. And if I say to my slaves, 'Do this,' they do it."
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, "I tell you the truth, I haven't seen faith like this in all Israel!"
Matthew 8:5-10
When you really put your full faith in God's hand, it's like a freefall–exhilarating and terrifying. We should want a faith that amazes God, a faith that brings a smile to His face and changes lives.
1) Belief Beyond What We See
God calls us to walk by faith, not by sight. There is a lot about life that doesn't make sense from our human perspective. Walking by faith means believing God even when life doesn't make sense, when we feel uncertain, and when our prayers aren't answered when or how we'd hoped. Faith means holding on to God's goodness, knowing He can turn any situation into something for our good.
"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts, " says the Lord. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts."
Isaiah 55:8-9
The freefall is saying if God says no, then we don't want it, and if God says not now, then we'll wait. It's living for Him in the freefall and doing what He says even when we don't understand.
2) Give Your Imagination Back to God
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
Romans 8:28
We serve the same God who told the water to move, who provided water from a rock, who rolled the stone away. Pray like He's got it–whatever your "it" is–because whatever He says is right. Miracles happen daily, but we won't see them if we're not walking by faith. With God, the impossible is possible.
Our thoughts and perspectives can limit how we see God working. But God's thoughts are far above ours; He is always at work in ways we can't even imagine. To give our imagination back to God means to trust in His power to do the impossible, to trust that ultimately He is in control.
Instead of focusing on the "what-ifs" of fear, choose the "what-ifs" of faith. Miracles happen daily, but we won't see them if we're not walking by faith. When we surrender our dreams and plans to God, we make room for His greater purpose.
3) Recognize When God Moves
Faith doesn't just stop at believing; it looks for evidence of God at work. Prayers don't change who God is; they align us with His will and open our eyes to His blessings. Praying helps us align our sight with God's vision. It's so easy to focus on the negatives, so start looking for the ways you are already blessed.
Group Questions
- Why is it difficult to believe beyond what we see?
- What would it look like to trust God with your biggest dreams or challenges?
- Have you seen God answer a prayer or perform a "small" miracle in your life?
- How can you focus more on God's blessings instead of what feels unanswered
Prayer
Thank you for being a God who invites us to believe beyond what we see. Help us to surrender everything–our fears and imaginations–to you and help us to walk by our faith, not by our sight.