I wept the moment I realized the limits of my faith had stopped me from asking God for all that she needed. It had not even crossed my mind it was an option. It would have been an audacious prayer… it would have required audacious faith. Faith with no boundaries. Audacious faith takes Jesus at His Word and believes “Nothing is Impossible with God.”
Weeks after ministering to her, I stood there in a service where God renewed someone’s skin. A sweet, twelve year old girl who had scars up and down both arms from emotional torment. Without even asking, God had renewed her skin. Wiped away her past, healed her heart, and redeemed her soul. The young girl was weeping at His love, His gift of a fresh start. I was stunned. My faith was stunned. Stunned by Jesus’s love for his people and His limitless power. And why not? Jesus has been cleansing skin for a while now. Sickness and disease… it leaves scars on the heart and the body. And yet, Jesus consistently cleansed and renewed their skin. Why not for her?
We were all crying at the power of God’s love. But I was weeping. At the impact of God’s love and at the unbelief I saw in my heart. For the miracles people didn’t receive because I didn’t ask. God’s word says Jesus has all authority. Authority over the law, authority over healing, authority over demons, authority over wind, authority over the sea. In Christ, the entire cosmos is held together. He hasn’t changed. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. But somewhere along the way, I had put boundaries on my faith.
What holds us back? Not receiving the answer we ask? A very wise woman (my mother) used to tell me, “Leslie, if you ask, at the very least you have a chance. The only definite “No” is when you do not ask.” Jesus said we do not have because we do not ask. Then He tells us to ask persistently. Like the audacious widow seeking justice and the audacious neighbor seeking a solution. Audacious faith and audacious persistence go hand in hand. We don’t stop at the first heartbeat of silence.
What if nothing happens? Embarrassment? Maybe. Disappointment? Definitely. Angry Response? Possibly. But I’ve prayed for hundreds of people and never had anyone mad at me for carrying their burdens. And even in sorrow and disappointment, Jesus is still beside you. He never leaves you or forsakes you. No matter the fires you walk through, you cannot be separated from His love. We have to love people more than our pride, more than our fear of rejection, more than our fear of disappointment. Compelled by love and compassion, we must move in audacious faith because He has audacious love.
And because nothing is impossible with God.
Leslie