It is one of those haunting things to encounter a story involving Jesus teaching his disciples and watch how the end result of their interaction with them is “You of little faith!” I recently thought that this is best interpreted as Jesus saying to his disciples “C’Mon man!” In my youth I could not understand how the disciples could be, at times, so daft. Here they are walking around with the Son of God and they just don’t get it. Years passed by, life has provided me with a number of occasions to sit be the bed of those who are dying, diagnosed with cancer, and who are disabled. There in those moments I find myself never wanting to offer “false hope” or lead them to believe that it is their lack of faith as to why they are not getting better. So I pray, for God’s holy presence, God’s love and compassion,, God’s peace. These things that I pray are honest, from the gut, kind of things that I believe in heart and mind.
That was all thrown out the window one day when I was doing my rounds in a hospital in Jersey and I walked into a room of a Egyptian Coptic Christian woman. I do not recall what she was being treated for, but I recall that the situation looked dire. I walked in thinking that I would offer comfort and prayers of peace. Instead I was met by eyes of fait and deep conviction.
She explained to me the story of their faith and that they firmly believe that even today if you pray with faith mountains can be moved. She paused, looked me right in the eyes and said, “I want you to pray that I will walk out of here and I want you to believe the words when you pray them.”
I can not tell you to this day what I prayed, but I remember what my internal dialogue was as I prayed. “Lord, heal this woman on account of HER faith, and take the little faith that I have and show me you still work in miraculous ways.” The result was she was granted healing to walk out of the hospital by her own power.
This happened in 2004 and has not been the norm in my walk with Christ, but I will never doubt that God can and still does work in ways that blow our minds, that are not easily explained, I thank God for it!
Rev. Shawn J. Smith 