James Levi

Visible Faith James Levi

It is not that the world lacks the power to meet the right needs, but it often lacks something else. Something that is so common yet rare, small but so vast. Even when the best resources are available, people go hungry, children die of disease, and it seems there is no end to suffering. It is easy to point fingers at others-often at corrupt, uncaring leaders. But in this book you will find that the corruption and waste are results of something different. Something that is very significant yet ignored, something that is incredible and so valuable, yet it cannot be possessed by the strong or purchased by the wealthy. The ordinary may grasp it but the learned can miss it. It is called faith...a visible faith, the mystery that reveal the presence of the creator in our midst to release the power that will heal our broken world. A day in an old and little-known village ended with a history-making event. It was an ordinary day with ordinary people engaging in the usual routines of life. Then everything changed in a moment. A group of men literally barged into a gathering, knocking off the 'meeting-in-progress' sign and thereby disturbing the entire religious atmosphere, and changing everything that day. First, there was a physical healing of their friend, a man who was a paralytic and had not walked for quite a long time. Then there was forgiveness for the man who had been carrying sin within him for just as long. This incident shattered many of the belief systems as well as the paradigms of the people there who did not believe in their hearts that God could come down in their midst to heal someone with such an ailment or even freely offer forgiveness. It is later noted in the text that people were amazed at what took place right in front of them. What happened in that little village on that day was not something that was reserved exclusively for those guys who climbed the roof and broke open the slabs to lower the sick man down along with his mat. It was more than that. It was not his need of healing that created the miracle that day. No one was healed, no spectacular miracle happened until these guys came in. Why didn't anything happen when the power to heal the sick was present right there? Was the heart to heal the sick absent? Well, that cannot be true as God is a compassionate God and He wants to heal those who are sick and suffering. Yet healing didn't happen until something changed in that place. The character of God does not want anyone to remain in pain and suffering for even a moment. He is always willing to heal and to make people whole, but sometimes He does have a reason to delay (according to our timetable). The miracle that took place that day in that house depended on these friends showing up. And that says a lot! Something moved when a few ordinary people came to that house. They brought along with them something that would change their world as well as the world around them. I doubt they knew what else they carried with them besides their friend when they entered the room. Their intrusion into a serious gathering of religious folks could have been labeled as blasphemous, not merely a social disturbance. What the men brought with them remained unknown to all until it was disclosed right there in front of the whole crowd. The healing power of God was very much present to heal and forgive anyone-yet the healing didn't happen. Something else needed to be present to release that power, like a power outlet that needs a cord so that electricity can flow. Though the heart of God was alive and waiting to reach out to those who were in need, nothing happened for a very long time because God's heart didn't see faith. Faith didn't become visible until this group showed up. Until then, the healing power of God was unutilized and untapped, until one crucial element was available in the room.