Matthew 13 - Because of Their Unbelief...

Have you ever wondered if you have enough faith? I'm not talking about enough faith to be saved. As for salvation, the Bible speaks of childlike faith and believing that God is and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Faith is not a work, as the Bible contrasts the two. I'm talking about having faith in the work God is willing to do if we will simply believe. I'll be honest enough to say that there are times when I wonder if I should have more faith or be more realistic. Hear me out- If I ask God for something that I want, should I expect God to give it to me and count him unfaithful if He doesn't? That's probably not wise, and it's surely a misapplication of Biblical faith. However, what about those things that God is perfectly willing to do, but does not do, because we don't ask? This is what I am getting at. Sometimes, I wonder if I should have more faith and have bigger expectations when I ask God of certain things. Let's look at a few verses here in Matthew 13. Please read verses 54-57. I'll highlight verse 57.

Verse 57- “And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.”

What you have here are some cynical people who have tried to limit God. They believed in God, sure, but they scratched their head when it came to Jesus. Sure, they saw him heal a few sick folk, but their real problem was with God. Even though God had given them the Old Testament and prepared them for the Messiah, they didn't know who Jesus was. Even though they were told a virgin would conceive, they weren't really looking. Even though, John the Baptist, would preach a message of repentance and that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, they wouldn't listen. It's no wonder why they had a problem with Jesus. They weren't prepared to accept the Messiah God had given them, they wanted him to conform to their own image. Sounds a bit like today, huh? They simply didn't believe God. They believed in His existence, but not in His promises. Which, might I add, is insufficient to be saved. It is only through the name of Christ that one can be saved.

Aren't We Sometimes Guilty of Having a Lack of Faith?

If we are really honest, we may be guilty of the same, to a certain extent. The Gospels are full of examples of God withholding his miracles because of a lack of faith. “Ye have not, because ye ask not.” Does that sound familiar? We know that when we ask of God, we must ask in faith, but how do we know when is the right time to have faith in receiving the things we ask? For if we ask in faith about every frivolous thing, then we may think that God doesn't answer prayer. But if we never ask in faith, then obviously, sometimes we won't receive that which we ask for. What a strange predicament.... However, the Bible does guide us to know when and how to ask in faith.

I John 5:14- “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything ACCORDING TO HIS WILL, he heareth us...”

So, it seems that part of the key is asking according to His will. What things may these be? I'd say this is quite open to anything that falls within the will of God. What is God's heart? What are God's desires? The more we know Him, we more we will know His will. “God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” God does not want to see anybody go to Hell, but for all men to be saved. So, we can never go wrong when it goes to asking God to help somebody get saved. But, we must also remember, that people have a free will and that God cannot make somebody get saved. Or how about asking God to send forth laborers into His harvest (The Great Commission). We are commanded to pray for that. Or how about our needs? Of course he knows them before we ask, but look at the Lord's prayer. “Give us this day our daily bread.” When we ask God to provide our needs, we can ask in faith expecting to receive. If a son asks his father for bread, what father would give him a stone? Or if he ask his father for a fish, what father would give him a serpent? How much greater will our Father take care of us?

A Brief Testimony

Since I have began living for God, God has truly been faithful. In fact, God was good to me as long as I can remember, even when I wasn't living right- God was much better than he could have been. Even when I was lost in sin, God loved me so much that He gave his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross for me. Talk about love beyond measure! But anyways, I have always wondered how far I can trust God. Of course, the logical answer is that I can trust him wholeheartedly. But in practical terms, where is that fine line of trusting God completely without slipping into foolishness? I remember when I moved out for the first time, I moved about 2 hours away to go to Bible college. I vaguely knew 1-2 people there, but not really. I had some savings, but no job, and very little scholarships. All I knew is that God wanted to me to be a missionary and carry the Gospel to those whom had never heard. I was simply preparing for the task God had given me. I would be lying to say it was easy. Thankfully, our school had a meal plan that was part of our school bill, but other than that, I was well familiar with ramen noodles. There were times when I was working 45 hours a week, taking 18 semester hours of classes, and involved in various ministries on the side. Thankfully, the 45 hours a week was only for about a month, before I went down to about 35 on average. Even so, there were times when it was rough. There were many things I had to sacrifice, but nothing compared to our Lord. Long story made short, God got me through it all. I had even raised the funds to take a mission trip to the Ukraine.

Since marriage, God has been very good to us. When God called us to serve in Nicaragua, we began trying to raise support. There was a time when we had very little missions support coming in, but I would need to leave my job and trust God to provide. Man, was that hard! The only other time since I was 15 that I had not had a job for more than a week or so was when I had moved to go to Bible college. You'll never guess what I found out the day after I put in my two weeks notice. I found out we would be having a baby! While I was very excited, and perhaps a little dazed, I wondered why I couldn't have found this out before putting in my 2 weeks notice. Perhaps, God knew that my faith was not quite THAT strong, and that it might hinder me from doing what I needed to do. I then had to finish up my last 2 weeks, knowing that I would be jobless and expecting a baby in 8 months or so. Nobody at my job understood it, but I believe they had every confidence that God would take care of me. I joked around with the idea of asking for my two weeks notice back and saying, “I was just kidding about that- Gotcha!” But seriously, as I asked the Lord about it, I know that it was the right time for everything. I say all that to say this- “God is faithful.” You can trust Him. God wants to provide your every need and pour out his blessings on your life, but you must be willing to do what is right and trust Him. You must be willing to work hard, and to follow the life that Christ wants you to live. Ask according to His will. Don't let a lack of faith hold back God's blessings on your life!