Jesus tells three recently healed people that their faith has made them well. What kind of faith makes one well?
The Fringe of His Garment Luke 8:43-48; Matthew 9:18-22
Faith in the ability of God. In the midst of a massive crowd, a woman with a years-long ailment thought that she would never be able to capture the attention of Jesus. She doubted that she would have a one-on-one healing interaction with Him, but she did not doubt His ability to heal. She believed so wholly in Him that she knew just to touch Him would be enough. In her steadfast belief and desperation, she pressed her hand to his garment. She captured the attention of the healer, our Jesus. He heard her faith. If I only touch his garment, I will be made well. Jesus spoke the words to her: Your faith has made you well. And instantly, she was.
When we ask of the Father, our request should ring in His ears with faith. No matter how we frame the prayer, we have to ask ourselves which question our heart is really asking: Father can you do this versus Father will you do this. We cannot ask without expectation. Not the greedy kind. Not a demand. But a belief that He will heal a situation (as He sees fit) when we ask. When it is time to prayer, we must approach the request not by thinking: It wouldn't hurt to ask... but it will heal to ask.
To surrender a situation into God's hands it to render it completely to His control. It is not a softball thrown into the heavens. It is placement; it is subjection to His authority and ability. If we have the faith to know that (Matthew 9:29).
We might find ourselves in the midst of chaos and within it, it might be hard to believe that we can have a one-on-one healing interaction with God. But if we place that burden in His hand, if we touch our Father's garment for His healing...then just like that we have our one-on-one interaction. He feels the touch of His child. As He did with this woman, He feels us draw the power we need from Him to empower ourselves. He feels us access the promises He made us. He feels us reach for the provision because we believed Him when He told us it was there.
Where Are the Nine? Luke 17:11-19
Ten men with leprosy pleased with Jesus for mercy, to be healed of their affliction. Jesus healed the ten, but only one man turned back. He turned back to praise God with a loud voice. He fell on his face at Jesus' feet and gave Him thanks. Nobody else returned to praise God. Jesus told only the one who praised that His faith made Him well. All were healed, but only one was made well.
The kind of healing Jesus provides is deeper than a restoration of our physical body. It is entirely possible to have superficial faith. To have blessings in life and to carry on with them but never express gratitude for them. It is faith with gratitude toward God that makes one well. Well in the deeper sense. Well situated for the eternal kingdom. This is the wellness of the spirit. Of rightness with God.
Jesus noted the ones who did not return. Healed of leprosy, their position in the world increased. But because of their ingratitude, their position in gaze of God decreased. Scripture reminds us that the former is irrelevant but the latter is everything. Your position with God is the only thing that matters. A healthy relationship with God makes one well. We take and take and take from Him, from His endless storehouses of generosity, and the only thing we could ever give back is our gratitude, our love, our praise. Yet He accepts our meager offering. To not offer even it? That soul, that faith is unwell in the direst sense.
Mercy on Me Luke 18:35-43
A blind man by the roadside called out: Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. This caught Jesus' attention. He asked: What do you want me to do for you? Then man responded: Lord, let me recover my sight. And then Jesus gave Him the words: your faith has made you well. Immediately the man recovered his sight and glorified God.
When you are on the roadside of despair and need, know the Lord you call out to. The blind man knew Jesus' lineage. Through David, from Abraham to Noah and Adam. The one promised, arrived. But he also knew the character of Jesus, Immanuel, God with us.
God described the character His children could expect from Him as merciful, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, forgiving and willing to convict the guilty (Exodus 34:6-7). If we know who He is then we know what we can reasonably ask of Him. Ensure never to plead as if to a stranger. Communicate like a child with their Father. Pray for His mercy and grace, patience and steadfast love, faithfulness and forgiveness and ability to convict the unjust. These are fruits grown on the tree of life and we have been given access to partake.
We want to pay close attention to what Jesus says in scripture. We want to pay even closer attention to what He repeats. To have the faith that makes one well, look at Jesus' interactions with these three individuals. Focus on the kind and quality of their faith. Build it in yourself through your relationship with God. When it is time to return to the Father, we want Him to declare that we have been made well by our faith.