A Match of Wills

“When he entered the house, the blind men approached him, and Jesus said to them, ‘Do you believe that I can do this?’” (Matthew 9:28)

I love how direct Jesus can be. Parables offer layers to explore, but sometimes, His simple, pointed questions reach right to the heart.

Do you believe I can do this?

It’s a question worth asking ourselves in our own prayers: Do I truly believe the Lord can do this? Or do I doubt, even as I ask?

Jesus instructs us to ask, seek, and knock, but the Gospels show us that He acts on two crucial prerequisites. First, His actions are always aligned with the Father’s will. Second, He responds to faith.

We see this over and over: with the blind men, with the centurion’s servant, with the paralytic. Jesus directly acknowledges the role of faith in each healing, calling out their trust and surrender to Him.

There’s a lesson here. God isn’t a vending machine. When we don’t receive the answer we want, it’s not because we’re doing something wrong or because God is holding back.

We are called to approach Him in faith, trusting in the Father’s perfect will, even when it doesn’t match our own.

As Isaiah reminds us, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways” (Isaiah 55:8). God’s wisdom is beyond ours, and His timing is infinitely wise.

When we pray, let’s not come with a transactional mindset but with faith in God’s goodness, ready to trust His will above all.