There were two people who had different needs and required God’s help. The first was one of the rulers of the synagogue named Jairus, and the second was a woman who was not named, only called according to her illness: Woman with the issue of blood. Both had different approaches, both had a different way of faith, but they both got the same result, healing (Mark 5:21-43). This is called conventional faith versus aggressive faith.
Jairus’ way of Faith
I call the faith of Jairus conventional faith, because this kind of faith is most commonly used by Christians. These are the characteristics:
1. Passive.
Jairus only came to Jesus and asked Him to come to his house to pray for his daughter who were sick, dying. That’s all he did and he’s just waited for Jesus to work. This kind of faith is widely used by Christians. If there is a need, they come to a man of God and ask for him to come to pray for them so that miracles will happen. They just wait for the man of God and God to work. They just stare silently waiting for the miracles from the work of the man of God.
2. Often have to go through a long and stressful wait.
Jairus had to wait in a long and thrilling period. He waited, hoping that Jesus could walk faster to his home and his daughter could continue to survive until Jesus come to his house. If we use the conventional way of faith, we will always experience a long and stressful waiting period, because we depend our fate to the work of ministers, etc., which often does not provide certainty of a miracle.
3. Often receive a delayed answer.
Jairus was happy because Jesus was willing to come to his house. This was the answer to his prayer. But the thing was, on the way to his house a lot of people gathered around Jesus, so the time went so slowly for him. There was a congestion on the roads. That is what we experience when we use conventional faith.
Often we feel the answer is very close, already in hand, but in the middle of the road, it’s like it’s gone again. It feels so close but delayed again so we often struggle in the faith. We have to pass periods where we are disappointed and discouraged, but then rise again, sink and rise again, because there are people around us who strengthen us, “Do not be afraid, just believe!”
4. Often receive the answer after the problem gets worse and at a very critical time or even late.
After passing through a long and stressful wait and delayed answer, eventually his daughter died, and he felt it was too late. If we have conventional faith, that’s what we will experience, sometimes we just receive the answer after all get worse and we felt it was too late.
5. Often feel very grateful to finally get the help that is needed.
Vocabularies which are owned by the person who used the Jairus’ way of faith are often like this: “Thank God, finally God helped me. I was in a precarious situasion, I was helpless, but thankfully, God finally helped me. God is never late! (whereas yesterday we felt God was too late)”
The woman with the issue of blood’s way of Faith
1. Aggressive.
She was actively doing something and was not just waiting for something to happen to her. When she heard “the news about Jesus”, she did not just be still, she pondered, spoke, imagined and planned it, so that faith continued to grow and she believed in Jesus more. When she heard Jesus was coming to her village, she hastened out to meet Jesus. When she did not find a way to come to Jesus, she did not just stay there doing nothing, she was trying to find a way for her to receive a miracle.
When she saw the hem of Jesus’ robe fluttering in the wind, she strengthened her faith and said, “If I can just touch His clothes, I will get well.” When we have faith as aggressive as this woman, we will continue to do something to strengthen our beliefs. We will continue to do something, however small it is, to be able to achieve miracles. We are not passively waiting for a miracle, we act actively and aggressively to achieve miracles.
2. Determine her own time.
Jesus had a schedule to heal Jairus’ daughter, but didn’t have a schedule to heal her. If she was just waiting passively, she would never accept miracles. Jesus did not know her, did not even know her, let alone set a schedule to heal her, absolutely nothing. But she said, “If Jesus is not scheduled to heal me, I’ll touch Him. If Jesus doesn’t drain His power to me, I’ll pull the power out of Him!”
She set her own time when she would achieve miracles. This is the aggressive faith! If all this time you have kept waiting for Jesus to touch you, and you haven’t receive it; why not you who touch Jesus? The result is the same! Do not just passively wait for a miracle, do something, take action, get your miracles! If you receive the Word, act, do something! Make the Word become a conviction in you, so that your faith grows. It’s you who determine when you will get your miracles! Jesus said: “Your faith has saved you!
3. Break through all barriers.
Aggressive faith can not be stopped! She saw all opportunities for her to meet Jesus were closed. It’s impossible to ask for prayer by Jesus. But an aggressive faith is a faith that breaks through all barriers, never gives up. That’s why even the slightest chance can become the foundation for her to act and achieve miracles.
Earlier, people only know, if you want to be healed, come to Jesus, He will put His hand on you and you are healed. But these women were not constrained by a common knowledge, she broke through all obstacles, she broke all existing prevalences. No one knew before that we could touch Jesus, but this woman did, and now the whole world knows, the results are the same as if Jesus touches you! If you have an aggressive faith, that faith will inspire you to do something different, maybe something that has never existed, but when you do it, something happens.
That is conventional faith versus aggressive faith.. Have an aggressive faith! Break through all barriers, remove all obstructions! Get your miracles! And determine when you will get it!
Also read: What Happens to our Lives if We Believe.
