Notes
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
Ephesians 3:20
God is able to do more than we can fathom. He has the power to heal not only the body and mind, but also our spirit. He can move us forward when we depend on Him.
A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding, and she could find no cure. Coming up behind Jesus, she touched the fringe of his robe. Immediately, the bleeding stopped.
“Who touched me?” Jesus asked.
Everyone denied it, and Peter said, “Master, this whole crowd is pressing up against you.”
But Jesus said, “Someone deliberately touched me, for I felt healing power go out from me.” When the woman realized that she could not stay hidden, she began to tremble and fell to her knees in front of him. The whole crowd heard her explain why she had touched him and that she had been immediately healed. “Daughter,” he said to her, “your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”
Luke 8:43-48
This woman was isolated, weak, and vulnerable. She had exhausted her resources trying to find a solution to her problem. But it was her faith in Jesus that restored her. When we connect our faith to God’s power, we can receive what God has prepared for us. And when the Holy Spirit dwells in us, He will guide us in growing our faith, and the enemy will run in fear.
Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o’clock prayer service. As they approached the Temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the Temple gate, the one called the Beautiful Gate, so he could beg from the people going into the Temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money.
Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, “Look at us!” The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!”
Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man’s feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened. He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them.
All the people saw him walking and heard him praising God. When they realized he was the lame beggar they had seen so often at the Beautiful Gate, they were absolutely astounded!
Acts 3:1-10
When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to him, “Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!”
“Yes,” he told them, “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning! Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you.
Luke 10:17-19
The enemy’s goal is to steal, kill, and destroy. But Jesus came to give those who follow Him a life of abundance. He is the solution, and He is where we find rest and peace. He gives us freedom. Amazing things happen when we place our faith in Jesus.
Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:28-31
Our strength will fail and our resources will run out, but God is a God of renewal. When we are willing to step out in faith, we can see that God is able to restore us and do things we can’t even imagine.
Group Questions
- What is faith? (The answer can be found in Hebrews 11:1.)
- When have you seen someone demonstrate incredible faith?
- What does it mean that Jesus gives us rest?
- How does God renew and restore us?
Prayer
Thank you for renewing, restoring, and healing us. Help us to stop doing things our own way and instead follow after you. We want your power to be the power that drives us.