No Formula


Hi Friends,

I’ve been thinking about faith. (Is there a more simple, yet complex topic?!)

Here are a few lyrics I sang about this:

There’s no formula to faith
No saying words just the right way
It’s birthed in the heart
Reaching out for who You are

Jesus commended the woman with the issue of blood in Luke 8:40 as having true faith.

This leads me to a question people have asked through the centuries:

What is required to have true faith?

It may help us to first look at what it’s not.

Faith is not an emotion.
Faith is not an absence of insecurity.
It’s not unwavering belief.

Jesus never likened faith to a mighty oak, full grown and bearing fruit. He said what was needed was faith the size of the smallest of seeds.

Back to our Gospel story: the life of this woman is in shambles. Years of bleeding, years of stigma and isolation. She spent all the money she had on doctors to no avail.

She seems riddled with insecurity and shame.

This woman is not confident enough to stop Jesus in His tracks. Not bold enough to ask for healing from Him face to face.

She comes from behind Him, ducking through the throngs of people, reaching through the legs of the crowd pressing against Him. Closer, closer, finally she reaches out. But He’s moving, walking. At best, her fingertips graze the edge of His garment.

She’s instantly healed.

And He stops. He commends her faith.

It’s hard to shake the mindset that you have to get it all together in just the right way to please God.

We hype ourselves up, stir up an emotional frenzy, search endlessly for just the right words, as if the syllables themselves held a sort of magic.

But perhaps this woman’s desperation drove her to do just the thing that He’s looking for:

She came to Him.

Afraid? Yes. Ashamed? Seems like it.

Her faith wasn’t great in size or impressive in expression. But it was in Him alone.

Perhaps that is the most important thing about faith.

God, help me just to come to You as I am and believe in who You are. Amen.

— Anna

P.S. I sang this chorus on an Instagram post a few years ago. You can hear it here if you’re interested!

Anna Blanc

I am a singer, songwriter, wife, mother, Jesus follower. I send out a 2-minute read every Tuesday about Jesus and life in God.

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