Teach Me to Have Faith

Consider Abraham: “He believed God, and

it was credited to him as righteousness.”

                                    Galatians 3:6

     One year ago today, after seeing my family doctor and then a surgeon about a cyst beneath my eye, I was told that it would not heal itself and would have to be removed by a plastic surgeon. After spending $200 with no results, I wanted neither someone cutting on my face nor the expense of the remainder of my insurance deductible.

     That Wednesday evening, while among friends, I declared that God was going to heal the thing and I was not going to have it surgically removed. One of my friends advised me to make sure it was healed before I cancelled the appointment with the surgeon. We all laughed, but I began to think about that and about the prayer I had prayed on January 1—“God, teach me to have faith like Abraham.”

     On Thursday morning I cancelled the appointment with the plastic surgeon and prayed for healing. As I spoke with my Father God, I began explaining that I knew He not only could but would heal me. I’m really not sure if I was trying to convince Him or me.

     I started the day on Friday by thanking God that my eye was healed. I had no evidence of that, but I thanked Him. On Friday afternoon I put a warm compress around the eye to relieve some of the swelling, and I felt a sting. The cyst began to drain.

     You may say that would have happened anyhow. I would disagree. You see, at the exact moment I looked into the mirror and placed that compress around my eye, God spoke to my heart and said, "Healing is a process."

     I knew He was speaking to me about more than the cyst on my face. He was pointing out some things in my heart that needed healing. He is the Great Teacher and uses everyday life experiences to teach us deep spiritual truths. Once again, as He had done many times before, God used the ordinary in my life to teach me something extraordinary.

     So, here I am one year later—thankful that God heard my prayer, thankful that no plastic surgeon was needed, and thankful that He continues to build my faith in Him. Do I have faith as great as Abraham? No! I am still a work in progress. But, like Abraham, I have learned to believe God.