Faith in Unexpected Places

God can do what He wants, where He wants, through whomever He chooses. But I find it interesting how God chooses to do His work through people.

He could have sovereignly parted the Red Sea without Moses playing any role, but instead He told Moses, “Pick up your staff and raise your hand over the sea. Divide the water so the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground” (Exodus 14:16 NLT).

God could have brought down fire from Heaven without Elijah, but he directed the prophet to pray, and then fire came down.

Jesus could have healed everyone, everywhere during His earthly ministry. He didn’t have to lay hands on one person or speak a word to another person. He could have simply said, “On the count of three, everyone is healed,” and boom, they all would’ve been healed.

Instead, Jesus worked in the lives of people who called out to Him and applied their faith.

I think of Bartimaeus, who was blind. He heard that Jesus was coming his way, so he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:47 NLT).

Someone told him to be quiet, but he yelled even louder. Then Jesus commanded that they call Bartimaeus over. Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” (verse 51 NKJV).

Bartimaeus replied, “I want to see!” (verse 51 NKJV).

Jesus said, “Go, for your faith has healed you” (verse 52 NKJV).

Then there are those who were quieter in their faith, like the woman who reasoned that if she could just touch the hem of Jesus’s garment, she would be healed. And she was.

Faith is often found in the most unexpected and unusual places. It’s grace, not the place, that makes a person a believer.