Here is the revelation that is shaping my life today – faith is a posture for life that moves me into the realm of heaven to earth supernatural, but it is not a control of the one who brings heaven to earth.
Luke 7:8-9,13-14,23,50 TPT
[8] “Unlike you, I am just an ordinary man. Yet I understand the power of authority, and I see that authority operating through you. I have soldiers under me who obey my every command. I also have authorities over me whom I likewise obey. So Master, just speak the word and healing will flow.” [9] Jesus marvelled at this. He turned around and said to the crowd who had followed him, “Listen, everyone! Never have I found even one among the people of God a man like this who believes so strongly in me.”
13] When the Lord saw the grieving mother, his heart broke for her. With great tenderness he said to her, “Please don’t cry.” [14] Then he stepped up to the coffin and touched it. When the pallbearers came to a halt, Jesus said to the corpse, “Young man, I say to you, arise and live!”
23] And tell John these words: ‘The blessing of heaven comes upon those who never lose their faith in me no matter what happens.'”
50] Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith in me has given you life. Now you may leave and walk in the ways of peace.”
Observation
In these stories that Luke shares of the life of Jesus in Chapter 7, we see several things concerning faith, miracles and life.
In the first story, we see a Roman commander put faith in Jesus to heal one of his soldiers from a distance because he understands authority. Jesus comments “Never have I found even one among the people of God a man like this who believes so strongly in me.” The soldier is healed partly because of the eluded/faith of the Roman commander. How often do I stand firmly in my understanding of the authority of Jesus? How much do I miss of heaven invading earth because I look through the lens of circumstances and not stand in the authority of Jesus?
We then see a grieving mother in the funeral procession of her son. No faith expressed, no standing in authority, no comment as to the goodness or badness of the life of the mother or the son. The miracle is released because of the tenderness of Jesus. His heart breaks at brokenness and he moves with miracle-working power. Again how often do I miss the tenderness of God expressed miraculously in and around my life because I don’t have eyes for the miraculous.? We call it “good luck” or “fortunate,” or whatever, and miss God at work because of her love for us.
We then see Jesus make this comment to John’s disciples “The blessing of heaven comes upon those who never lose their faith in me no matter what happens.” There is a posture in life, that being unmoving faith regardless of life’s circumstances, that sees and receives the blessings of heaven. They are not earned by faith, but they are received and seen by faith. Sometimes blessings are not released because there is no faith to receive them. But the danger here is that we believe we can manipulate God to move because of my faith. There are no transactions in heaven that put God indebted to move. My faith does not put God in debt to me, but it does posture me to receive and see. And from that posture somehow it enables the flow of the miraculous from heaven to earth. It enables in some way for God to move. I don’t get this, but I know I am not passive in shaping earth in the ways of heaven, and my posture of faith is a critical key here.
Then lastly we see a ‘sinful’ woman wash the feet of Jesus with her tears and dry with her anointing him with expensive perfume. Jesus says to her “Your faith in me has given you life. Now you may leave and walk in the ways of peace.” Again faith has a role in unlocking life and peace in the spiritual, supernatural world. We don’t know what this life looks like, or what form this peace comes in. We don’t see a circumstantial miracle here, dead raised sick healed, but we see a new life that is dwelling in peace. Sometimes faith releases miracles in the immediacy of our circumstances, sometimes faith postures and positions us for the miracle of the journey of hew life and peace.
So we see circumstantial miracles released by faith, circumstantial miracles released by the tenderness and love of God, miracles of life and peace walked in by the posture and life of standing by faith. Faith clearly has an influence in the heaven-to-earth supernatural world, the challenge for us is when we try and submit the supernatural to my exercise of faith. Faith is a posture for life that is a conduit for heaven to invade earth and for me to be able to witness and interpret its arrival and intervention. It is not a stance that gives me rights for demanding and trading. Faith does not take away the unknown of the miraculous or supernatural, as much as we would like it to, and it does not guarantee or manoeuvre God to be at our disposal. Faith is simply a way of walking in the supernatural that postures me to its presence and potential.
Application
I will look to live my life in the posture of faith. I will not base my faith on its rewards but on the beauty of my personal experience of my God. I will not demand to control the miraculous because of my faith exercises, I see how anti-faith this is. The invitation to me is to posture for faith, the release of heaven on earth remains in God’s hands.
Response
Thanks for the invitation to faith that is based in the beauty of trust and not the transactional world. I love this life, not as a controller based on ability, but as being loved tenderly and invited to be engaged in the heaven-to-earth transformation.
Meditation
Meditate – Your faith in me has given you life.
Consider:
Do you posture for faith only as long as faith returns the rewards you are postured to see? Do you treat faith as a transactional posture?
What does the posture of faith look like for you?
JOURNEY DEEPER
