Tonight my coservant and I were preparing for Bible study with this week’s passage on Mark 5:21-43. The passage begins with a synagogue ruler, Jairus, coming before Jesus begging Him to go heal his daughter who was sick. Jesus agrees but along the way, He is touched by a woman who’d been bleeding for 12 years. When she touched his cloak, she was immediately healed and Jesus calls her out saying it was her faith that healed her. As they finish up, some men come from the house of Jairus saying that his daughter is dead and that they shouldn’t bother Jesus anymore. Jesus responds “Don’t be afraid; just believe” and proceeds (over the laughing and mocking crowd) to raise Jairus’ daughter from the dead.

After we read through the passage, we went as usual through our preparation process, going back and fourth sharing things that hit us, coupled with real world examples by building off of each other and about halfway through, I had one of those moments where I felt God speak so directly to me:

In both these cases, someone came to Jesus WITH faith that He could do something. In both these cases, it would have been a sufficient story had the woman left completely healed (without being called out) and the man’s daughter been completely healed (without her dying). In BOTH cases, the condition of faith (Jesus coming through for them) would have been satisfied… but, our God wants more. You see, in BOTH the examples, BOTH people come to Jesus WITH FAITH (they believed He could do something)… and God SEEs that faith and is pleased… but… He INJECTS situations into their lives such that they leave with EVEN GREATER faith.

For the bleeding woman, she put faith in Jesus to heal her… she’d been content with just physical healing… but Jesus CALLS her out… the response we see from her in v33 is that she came to him with much FEAR and TREMBLING. This was a woman who’d been bleeding for 12 years… a woman who by ceremonial standards was UNCLEAN and UNFIT to touch anyone… she was so content with merely being healed, but God wanted more.. Jesus wanted to show her that He was a God of peace – a God that separates based on faith rather than on physical cleanliness… and I bet her life was never the same again.

For the synagogue ruler… he’d heard Jesus could heal… and he came to Jesus IN FAITH… but God INJECTS a problem (his daughter’s death)… this problem was compounded by many around him telling him “not to bother the teacher anymore” (v35) and laughing at the notion of raising her from the dead (v40). God wanted more.. Jesus wanted to show him that He was not only the God who could heal, but the God who had power over death too.

You see, God SEES where we’re at in our faith… and He’s pleased with it… but He wants more. When we COME to Him IN FAITIH, He INJECTS issues and problems and conditions for EVEN GREATER FAITH DEVELOPMENT… so that afterwards, our faith is never the same… we are never the same. As I sat there thinking about that, I was just soo floored by how amazing our God is… He’s just soooo awesome.

Many of you know that in early December, after praying about various directions God wanted me for the future, I had the chance and privilege to interview at what I consider one of my dream jobs. I’d entered the job/postdoc search with FAITH trusting that God would provide a place where I could really grow and picture Christ… and for me, it seemed as though everything was pointing in this direction. The interview went extremely well and I received a call the next morning saying that they were very interested and after contacting my references, I should have an official offer within the week. At this point, I was pretty sure this is where God wanted me to be and had God given me that “official job offer” answer right away, I think the condition of faith would have been met: He provided a job doing great research, working with top people, and being able to involved with students and having a lot of flexible time to serve at church.

But… He wanted more for me…

The one week turned to weeks and months of going back and fourth figuring out issues with obtaining a security clearance (I’m a dual Taiwan and US Citizen) and in the end, I had to make a choice: keep my Taiwan citizenship (which I believed God wanted me to do), or give up the job (the job which I believed God wanted me to go to too). In the end I wrote back saying that if I had to give up my citizenship as a prerequisite to accepting the offer, I would have to decline the offer… it was a difficult decision and a stepping out in faith. Praise God He worked things out (and is still working things out)… but I was thinking about that… He could have very easily given me the job after a week… the end result would have been the same: me working at the place He wanted me to work… but… He wanted more.

He SAW my FAITH… and INJECTED a situation such that I would leave with an EVEN GREAT faith in an EVEN BIGGER God. He wanted me to leave more in AWE of Him… He wanted me to leave absolutely dependent on Him… and as I look back on the whole process, there were so many issues of pride, greed, self reliance, patience He wanted to deal with before I even started working.

When I sit back and think about that, I’m just amazed. Who woulda thought that when we come to God in faith, He injects even more difficulties such that our faith grows! He doesn’t want us to leave with the same faith… but He wants us to grow!! What can I say but that God is amazing!! I’m no longer afraid of problems that come… more than anything else, I want to grow in faith in a BIG God. He is able. He is willing… all glory to Him alone!