(July 7, 2016)
The gospel reading last Monday from Matthew 9:18-26, got me into reflection. When the official went to Jesus and told Him that his daughter just died, but still asked Jesus to come and save her, the official showed an immense faith. When the lady with hemorrhage for 12 years touched Jesus’ cloaked and believed that she will be healed, it was her faith that healed her.
In our daily life, how many times do we pray and ask for something yet still doubts if the Lord really understood us or if the Lord will actually answer our prayers? How many times do we even bargain with our Lord just to make sure that He will grant our requests? “Lord let me have this and that, and I promise I will do this and that,” sounds familiar? Sure do for me. I am guilty of doubting our Lord. I am guilty of being scared that what if our Lord will not hear my prayers? I am guilty of praying and even uttering “Your will be done, Lord” but still being fearful that I will still fail or I will be forsaken.
The reading reminded me that the miracles of Jesus always come with faith. It takes two to tango as what people say right? It takes 2 to make a relationship work. And it hit me; we are in a relationship with our Lord. It is not a one-way road where He is the only one reaching for us, and listening to our woes. Jesus requires us to trust Him, to believe Him, to have faith in Him before He answers our prayers. He wants to make sure that we are invested in this relationship as well. That we won’t abandon Him the moment we got our “requests” but instead, we stay and even use our answered prayers as an instrument to deepen our faith.
Our Lord is not a genie who will give us 3 wishes. We ask for His divine intervention, because we believe that our Lord is the architect of our lives. That He loves us and He would want only the best for us. That whatever happens is part of His greater plan for us. We lift up our prayers for we are mere human beings and we believe that He is the Lord our God, the creator of the universe and with Him nothing is impossible.
So every time we pray for something, claim it! Claim that Jesus will answer your prayers, not specifically right now, but in His own time. Have faith that He always hears you, and that He will never, ever abandon you.