Resistance to Grace
Read Mark 6:1-6
He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. –Mark 6:5-6
Wherever Jesus found faith, he was able to work wonderful miracles—leprosy was healed, the lame were made to walk, the blind found sight, the marginalized were restored to full inclusion, and the captives were set free. But where Jesus encountered opposition, his ministry was limited. A few people in Nazareth received healing (I imagine there were small pockets of faith and hope that Jesus could work with). But compared to Jesus’ ministry in other locations, nothing great happened.
What should we make of this? Is our faith the power that fuels Jesus’ ministry? Not at all! It’s not our faith that makes healing happen. Healing comes from God alone. But faith plays a crucial role in opening the conduit for God’s healing to enter our lives.
I once heard Andy Stanley give a wonderful message around marriage (it’s an old series called “iMarriage” if you want to look it up). He made the point that when we insist on doing things our own way, we squeeze God out of the picture. When we try to do things in God-honoring ways, though, it’s not that everything is instantly fixed. Healing doesn’t work like that; it’s not transactional (“If I do this, then God will do what I want.”) Rather, when we honor God, we put ourselves in a position where God can show up. The point is: There are attitudes and actions that close the door to God’s presence. And there are attitudes and actions that invite him in.
God does not violate our freedom or our will. We can resist him if we so choose. That resistance might be fueled by many sources: doubt, despair, anger, pain, and fear. There are many reasons we build walls around our hurts and our hearts. But a closed wound will not heal. We have to open ourselves to God if we want to know his healing. And that requires at least a mustard seed of faith.
Where in your life might you be resisting God or be closed to His presence? Is it in a painful relationship? Is it in the difficult decisions (or breakneck pace) that your job requires? Is it in some private habit—a stronghold of sin—that you hide from others? Are you afraid that maybe God isn’t real, or that he doesn’t really care, or that his love is for others but not for you?
Whatever your resistance might be, bring it to God. Confess your doubt and fear; let down your walls. Open your fist—your fingers that are curled around the hurt or shame you carry—and with open palms wait patiently to receive what the Lord longs to give you.
O God, I believe. Help thou my unbelief. Break down my walls of resistance. Help me to wait with patience for the healing and hope only You can bring. Amen.