2 Corinthians 4:18
The Unseen is Eternal
18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 5:7
Live by Faith, Not Our Sight
7 For we live by faith, not by sight.
Ephesians 2:8
Grace, A Gift of God
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.
John 6:44-45
God Gives Us the Gift of Faith
44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets: They will all be taught by God. Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me.
Matthew 9:22
The Healing Gift of Faith
22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.
Luke 7:1-10
Faith of the Centurion
1 When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. 2 There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. 3 The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, 5 because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.”6 So Jesus went with them.
He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.”10 Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.
Hebrews 11:1
By Faith
1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Faith is not an easy thing...It is hard to put your faith in things you cannot see, and have faith in things we find hard to understand...But that, by its very nature, is what much of faith is about...
It is easy to believe in things we can see. But by our faith, we can believe in things we cannot see...I do believe in some of the things that are invisible to me...When I think of the air we breath, it is something we cannot see or touch...Yet, I know it is there...I know I need it...Air is a gift from God...Is it a gift we cherish?...Probably not, first because we cannot see it, we take the air for granted...But without the air, we would not survive...I cannot see gravity, but I know it is there...When I jump up, I always return to the ground...There are many things we cannot see, yet we know they are there...
Faith is another thing we cannot see or touch...The Bible says faith is a "gift of God."...Yet, how many of us cherish this gift from Him?...Jesus even confirmed us -telling us about this gift...He tells us that not one man can come to Him unless His Father draws them (to Him)...Jesus, after doing some of His healing miracles, said many times that it was the people's own faith that had healed them...In Matthew, the daughter was healed instantly...In other miracles and prayers, they are done in God's time...
When Jesus teaches us about the greatest faith He found in Israel, it was a Roman Centurion, a Gentile...The centurion had a very sick servant and told Jesus not to trouble Himself with coming home and seeing the servant...Jesus' word that He would heal the ill servant was good enough for him...The centurion had the faith to trust Jesus, and if Jesus told him that his sick servant was well -then he knew he would be well...The centurion did not have to see Jesus touching the ill servant, or anything of that nature...Great faith is about trusting in the LORD...The centurion was sure of what he hoped for would come true, even though he could not see and understand what Jesus would do to heal his friend and servant...
Great faith is not about seeing, but trusting in the Word of our LORD...