Jesus said: “Do not fear. Only
believe” (Mark 5:36).
Jesus makes it sound so easy. Or
maybe I am the one who tends to complicate belief, while at the same time
underestimating it.
After all, there is great power
and precision in that word: “only.” Simultaneously, there is a great
amount of nuance in it – enough to expose all kinds of objections, questions,
fears, battles, doubts, and struggles in this heart of mine. To put it
another way…
Only believe. Simply believe.
Strictly believe. Solely believe. Merely believe. Wholly believe. Absolutely
believe. Fully believe. Thoroughly believe. Undividedly believe. Uniquely
believe. Singularly believe. Altogether believe. Totally believe. Plainly
believe. Perfectly believe. Just believe.
Yet I feel I need so much
more. I want faith…and immediate answers. I want belief…and
guaranteed certainty. I want trust…and earthly reward. I desire to
proclaim: “You can have all this world. Give me Jesus.” But honestly, I
still desire the world too. I want approval and acceptance all around.
Jesus makes it look easy too
(Mark 5:21-24, 35-43). A man comes to him, saying: “My daughter is
dying!” Never one to panic, Jesus begins to patiently make his way. Another man
comes to inform them: “She is dead…” Jesus arrives to weeping and
mourning. Apparently, he doesn’t have great funeral etiquette. He
seems to crack a joke: “She’s only sleeping.” The people laugh at
him. Not one to get his feelings hurt easily, he in turn drives them
out. He then tells the little girl to get up. She does.
But, never one to see a need to defend himself or give an “I told you so,” he
instead tells them: “Don’t tell anyone.”
Again, the dynamics of this story
expose so much in me. First, I might have panicked. I would have
said: “What? She’s dying?! Someone do something! Let’s get it fixed! Hurry!”
Next, I might have arrived and said: “It’s too late. The casket is closed. The
funeral has begun. Let’s not cause a scene.” Or, I might have let the
crowd deter me. I wouldn’t have made it past their laughing at me. I’d likely
have left dejected and in self-pity. Or, if I did make it to the final scene, I
would have rung the bells and said: “I just pulled off a miracle! We’ve got to
tell the world! Are news cameras around?!”
You see, I am always adding the
“and.” Faith and… Belief and… Trust and…
I want faith and the quick fix,
the easy road, and the uninterrupted weekend. I want faith and tradition,
predictability, normalcy, the status quo, and my comfort zone. I want
faith and to fit in, for the room to like me, and to be part of the in-crowd.
I want faith and trumpets, celebrity, and fame. I want to live by
faith…and sight.
For in my heart, I still carry
Fear. It delights to take up residence, as if fear and faith are
married. They are not. Perfect love casts out all
fear. Faith belongs to Him. It takes on no other name…than Jesus.
There is no other name under
heaven by which we are saved… (Acts 4:12)
There is no other place to go
when we need words of eternal life… (John 6:68)
There is no other thing to
know—than we were blind, but now we see… (John 9:25)
There is no other desire worth
having—than to dwell in His courts forever… (Ps 27:4)
There is only one thing
necessary—to sit at His feet… (Luke 10:42)
To listen to Him. And to
not fear. Only believe.
