Practising faith

It was wheels up on the 5th of September and we were off to Israel. We spent the first few days in Tiberias, at the Sea of Galilee. This is where Jesus performed a number miracles including the multiplication of bread and fish and walking on water. This is also where Peter walked on water. The prominent message in these first few days was to “not fear“ but “to faith” (not just to “have” faith, but to practice faith. A verb). You can have faith and fail to actually practice it. I have also never been in the presence of 300 people intentionally praying for the same thing. In this case, on Day 2 of the trip, we were on 4 boats on the Sea of Galilee, tied together, praying for His healing hand over all of us.

A bit of context. A few years ago, I started suffering from severe migraines. Migraines are a common occurrence in our family and most of my family members suffer from it. Since having my second child, I’ve had a migraine at least once every two weeks. Unless I catch it early with a few strong painkillers, I end up flat on my back for at least 24 hours. Not fun. I’ve tried all the natural remedies, but couldn’t keep it away for longer than two weeks at a time. Having a job that often require travel and time spent outside in dusty and hot conditions, made the migraines even worse and I often found myself in very uncomfortable situations because of it. Yes, I have prayed about it before and I have asked God to take it away. So what’s the difference between praying for it then versus praying for it now, on a boat in the Sea of Galilee? I think, like many of us often might feel, I didn’t really know if God is going to do what I ask of Him. “He gives and takes away” is what I always used to tell myself. We ask for something in prayer then wait and see if it happens. I realised, by the overwhelming presence of the Holy Spirit on that day on the Sea of Galilee that that is not “practicing” faith at all.

So, on this day, on the boat on the Sea where Peter walked on water because he believed, and started sinking because he lost faith halfway through, I decided to practice faith by praying and knowing that He has healed me through the Holy Spirit in that exact moment. HEALED. Praise God! I threw my painkillers in the hotel waste bin that night, and I’ve never had the need for it again. This is only my story, folks, one of 300. I am not the only one who has been healed that day. I hope that they will also come out to share their stories and to testify to God’s grace upon those who seek Him. I also pray that everyone who reads this, will practice faith, not just have it.

Photo credit: Charles Venter