Fear constricts the flow of grace while Faith opens its hydrant

I think the tendency of many people, even Christians, is to view God as stingy and holding back the best from us as if God is like a man who is afraid he will run out so he is always thinking about the cost. There is a lot of stinginess to go around in our churches today but God is not the source of this stinginess. In fact, if we will trust Him and walk with Him in faith, he promises to open up heaven itself to us and pour out blessings beyond our wildest dreams. (Cf. Mal. 3:8-11 The Message)

In Mark 5, as Jairus’ faith sinks upon hearing the news of his daughter’s death, the heart of Jesus desires to pour out blessings beyond his wildest dreams so he seeks to impart courage with the words, “Don’t fear,  just believe.” For Jairus to receive the blessing Jesus wants to impart, he must trust in Jesus because fear constricts the flow of grace while faith opens its hydrant. So don’t fear, just believe or else by fear and distrust, we can shut out the grace that Christ desires to impart, a grace that is not hindered by death. Jesus says, “if you simply transfer your trust to Me, you will not lack power. But you must allow my power to flow and not constrict it with your fear.”

You see, our faith can never grow beyond the power of God which resists boundaries. It is never that we have too much confidence in God; it is ALWAYS that we have TOO LITTLE. Our fear ties a noose around His benefits while our faith is the instrument that connects us to His power. Calvin comments, “Our own scanty desires hinder Him from pouring out His gifts upon us in greater abundance….our faith, however large, will never embrace the 100th part (smallest fraction) of divine goodness.” Jesus regularly attributed his healings to the faith of individuals as He did with the two scenes in Mark 5. We shouldn’t attempt to nuance or water  down our role of believing because faith always derives its content and virtue from the object in which it rests. It does matter that we trust, it does matter that we have faith. And He may not do it, if you fail to Just Believe. Faith is not about believing certain propositions but instead is a certain kind of confidence, a Gift of Confidence and strength that the Lord imparts to us so that we can trust Him. When you trust the Person of Jesus Christ, your heart enlarges beyond limits and your courage and confidence in Him grows. Do you want this confidence for yourself? Pray: “Jesus give me the kind of confidence in You that Just Believes!”