Do you believe that He is able to do this?

 And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.”  When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.”  Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” Matthew 9:27-29

For some time, the blind men had followed Jesus, the same Jesus who had just healed a paralytic and raised a girl from the dead. They cried aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David,” an incredible declaration of the deity of Christ. Everyone knew that the “Son of David” was the long-awaited promised Messiah. They—these blind beggars— believed Jesus was He. But Jesus waits before He heals them, and asks them a probing question first. “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”

This.

For them, the “this” was the complete healing of their blindness. The question almost seems silly. After all, how can they not believe when they have just learned of His other miracles? And yet, how often have I questioned whether God is able to do “this” something for me?

When I first learned about Christ and His power to forgive,  the extent of His mercy overwhelmed me, just as it did the beggars. But, several years passed before I went to Him with my sins and asked for forgiveness. Yes, I believed He was the Son of God, and yes, I believed that He could forgive sins, but I thought, perhaps not mine. That was my “this.”  Was I worthy of His mercy? Were my sins too great to forgive? One night, as I wrestled with these thoughts, it became obvious. I thought about all the people I knew who had been transformed by His power and grace. If He could forgive them, of course He could forgive me. I went to Him in faith and asked for forgiveness of my “this.” He forgave and I was healed.

Since then I have often thought about the disciples that were on the boat with Jesus during the storm. When they awoke Jesus they asked, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” They too, like the blind men, and like me, had seen plenty of miracles. But did Jesus care for them? That was their “this.” They wanted to know that Jesus cared about them personally. While Jesus questioned their faith, He showed them that He did. He calmed the storm.  

Jesus wants us to believe that He is the Son of God. But believing that He is the Son of God also should mean that we believe He has the power to heal “this” in our lives, whatever the “this” is. While He doesn't always calm the storm, He wants us to come to Him. That is what defines a relationship with Him—a personal faith to believe that He came to save and care for each of us.  

What is your “this”? Are you willing to deepen your relationship with Him by asking Him to care for your “this”? As we’ve seen in Scripture time and time again, He  is waiting for you. If your “this” is forgiveness, He is always willing to offer His grace. If your “this” is another kind of healing, the wonderful thing about believing that He is able to heal any “this” is that when He doesn’t, or doesn't straight away, we can rest in confidence that it is not because He hasn’t heard, or doesn’t care, He simply has a much better “this."

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28