“Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour” (Matt. 15:28).
Jesus said the Syrophenician woman had great faith. If she had faith under the old covenant, we surely ought to have faith under the new covenant.
What made this woman’s faith great? She put so much confidence in Jesus’ Word that she came for healing for her daughter – and didn’t even bring the daughter with her! In essence, she said to Jesus, “You just say the word, and my daughter will be healed.”
In Matthew 8:6-8, a Roman centurion displayed that kind of great faith. He came to Jesus and said, “My servant is at home sick.” Jesus answered, “I will come and heal him.” He said, “No, I’m not worthy that you should come under my roof. If you’ll just speak the Word, my servant will be healed.”
Many people in the Bible operated in faith: the ten lepers (Luke 17:12-19), the nobleman at Capernaum whose son was sick (John 4:46-53) and, of course, Abraham (Rom. 4:19).
They all operated in faith, saying, “Whatever You say, Lord, we’ll believe it. We take You at Your Word. We don’t need goose bumps; we don’t need burning bushes. You say it, and we’ll go our way believing.”
Great faith always takes God at His Word. That’s why, in Mark 11:24, Jesus said, “When you pray, believe the answer has been granted to you, and you will have it!”
The written Word is God’s word to me today. I believe
I receive and I go my way praising and thanking God for
my answer. I have great faith because I take God at His word!
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
For over 40 years, Pastors Mark and Janet Brazee have traveled throughout the world sharing the Word of God and the Spirit of God. Together they've shared the powerful truths of faith and healing in more than 50 nations.
Today Mark and Janet pastor World Outreach Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where they base their ongoing outreach to the world. The Brazees still travel as the Lord leads, and they are raising up a congregation who share their passion to reach Tulsa and the world.