Leap of Faith

“If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.”

Years ago our family went and camped in a very primitive area of our state, in an area known as the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, which, as the name suggests, one can only travel through the lakes in this area with a canoe or other non-motorized watercraft. 

Well one day on one of our canoe trips we found a rather tall outcropping of rock rising above the edge of the lake, maybe 12 to 15 feet above the surface. It was a relatively warm day if I remember correctly and we decided that it would be fun to climb up onto the top of that rock and jump off, but when I reached the top of the rock and looked down at the lake beneath me I hesitated. It seemed like it was way higher than the 12 to 15 feet than it actually was, and I began to doubt my decision. Even though the the water of the lake was plenty deep enough to dive into I was afraid of jumping from that height. But eventually I told myself that everything was going to be alright, and my belief caused me to take that leap of faith and I ended up safely plunging until the water below, and consequent times after that as well. 

It is faith and belief that we need to have when we come before the Lord in our prayers. The feeling of actually knowing that what we ask the Lord He is able to perform, just as He did in Mark 9.

Mark 9:17-29  “And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;

And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.

He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.

And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.

And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.

And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.

Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.

And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.

But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.

And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out?

And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.”

In this passage the man needed to have faith in the words of Christ. He needed to truly believe that Jesus could heal his son, and when he did Jesus saw the man’s faith and the son was healed.

You can ask for all sorts of things, never actually believing that you will ever get them, but what kind of a request is that? Most often if someone asks for something it is because they need to have it, like a glass of water, for example. If someone asks for some water then they most likely are thirsty and need hydration. Asking for food because your are hungry, asking for warm clothes on a winter day because you are cold. When we ask the Lord we are seeking to obtain something, something that we need, and the Lord will see our faith and belief in Him. The Lord is full of blessings and mercy, and we can know that when we ask Him in faith, we will receive.

Matthew 21:21-22  “Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.

And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”

So what are some things that you need in your life? Have you asked the Lord in the prayers? When asking, have you taken that leap of faith?

In Christ

Andrew