Confidence in God - Not Man

Psalm 118:8
It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man……

This passage of Scripture has deep meaning and relevance to me. Through the years of this cancer battle, whenever I have placed my hope or confidence in a doctor’s prognosis, the results of lab work or scans, or scientific data, I have been gravely disappointed. Today is no different. Just as my heart elected to rejoice for a moment, over my seeming success with this treatment, I received an e-mail from one of my specialists. He wrote nothing that the far recesses of my mind don’t already know. Yet, I have been solely depending upon God and His ability to perform the impossible with this treatment and allow me to emerge with some sort of remission. I will continue to trust the Lord and not place my hope or confidence in man.

He wrote:

I am glad to hear that your treatment goes so well for you. Let me not spoil the success, but please keep in mind that we expect this to work only temporarily and that you are well advised to think about how to continue treatment. At the end of the rituximab treatment your chance of being able to tolerate and benefit from other (experimental) treatment might be better than it was before you started. So you could revisit lenalidomide, ABT, or trials at OSU. Still, my advice would be to pursue transplant options.

If my balance of dependence was leaning more toward man than the Great I Am, written words such as these would spoil today’s treatment success. My mind would be inclined to fall into anguish and depression. My new-found hope would be dashed. However, I will elect to focus on His Word. The book of Matthew is abounding with healing accounts – where Jesus’ touch and Word healed all types of sicknesses and diseases.

I will continue to reflect upon and believe the reports of the Lord. I feel a bit like Joshua – He lived and was blessed after he refused to listen to or report bad news when he was sent out to spy upon the enemies’ territory. His focus remained on God’s Promises and not threatening, terrifying circumstances. Those who chose to focus on the circumstances surrounding them versus focusing on God’s Promises, all perished. I shall choose life as did Joshua.

These passages of Scripture offer us vital insights into the healing of many by Jesus.

Matthew 8:2-3
GOD IS WILLING TO HEAL.
And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

Matthew 8:5-13
OUR FAITH MATTERS – BELIEVE!
Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, 6 saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.”
And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! 11 And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour.

Matthew 8: 16-17
HIS WORD HEALED ALL.
When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, 17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

“ He Himself took our infirmities
And bore our sicknesses.”

Matthew 9:2-8
HE CONSIDERS (AND SEES) OUR FAITH OR LACK THEREOF.
Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”
And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, “This Man blasphemes!”
But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” And he arose and departed to his house. Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.

Matthew 9:18-26
GOD GIVES LIFE TO THE DEAD AND IS AWARE WHEN WE REACH TO HIM WITH FAITH.
While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live.” So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples. And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. For she said to herself, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.” But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour. When Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, 24 He said to them, “Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him. But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. And the report of this went out into all that land.

Matthew 9:27-29
PRAYERS ARE SOMETIMES ANSWERED IN RESPONSE TO OUR FAITH.
When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, “Son of David, have mercy on us!” And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.”

Matthew 9:32-33
THERE IS A FIRST TIME EVER FOR EACH TYPE OF MIRACLE.
As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a man, mute and demon-possessed. And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke. And the multitudes marveled, saying, “It was never seen like this in Israel!”

Matthew 12:10-13
THOSE AWAITING A MIRACLE MUST LISTEN TO THE VOICE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND RESPOND IN OBEDIENCE WHEN INSTRUCTED TO DO SOMETHING.
And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—that they might accuse Him. Then He said to them, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other.

Matthew 15:30-31
NO DISEASE IS OUTSIDE OF THE HEALING CAPABILITIES OF OUR LORD.
Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus’ feet, and He healed them. So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.

Matthew 17:14-21
UNBELIEF HINDERS HEALING. THE IMPORTANCE OF PRAYER AND FASTING IS IMMENSE.
And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.” Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

Matthew 20:30-34
PERSISTENCE IN PRAYER AND PRAISE IS PARAMOUNT TO RECEIVING ANSWERS.
And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!” Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!” So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” They said to Him, “Lord, that our eyes may be opened.” So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

As these Scriptures have refocused and renewed my faith today, I pray that they will increase your faith, no matter the impossible answer you are seeking today. Remember Matthew 19:26 that states, “But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”