Finding Faith in the Unseen – a Mark 8 Story
Samantha had always been a skeptic. She never believed in things she couldn’t see and touch. However, her life took an unexpected turn one day when she received a call from her doctor. It was cancer, stage 4.
Samantha had never been a religious person, but she decided to give prayer a try. She went to church and listened to the sermon, but she couldn’t shake off her doubts. How could a higher power exist? If there was a God, why would he let her suffer?
As she left the church, she noticed a homeless man sitting on the street corner. She felt a pang of guilt at having a comfortable life while others suffered. She dug into her purse and pulled out a few bills, and handed them to the man.
The man looked up at her and said, "God bless you."
Samantha was taken aback. She didn’t expect a homeless man to be so religious. She asked him if he believed in God, and he replied that he did.
"Have you ever seen him?" Samantha asked.
The man smiled. "No, but I can feel him. He’s in the little things, like the sun on my face or the kindness of strangers."
Samantha was intrigued. She asked the man more questions, and he shared stories of how he had found faith in the most unexpected places.
As Samantha walked away, she couldn’t stop thinking about the man’s words. She realized that she had been looking for God in all the wrong places. She had been searching for a physical presence when God was all around her, in the people she met and the little moments of joy in her life.
Samantha started praying every day, asking for strength and guidance. Slowly but surely, she started feeling better. One day, her doctor called with surprising news. Her cancer had gone into remission.
Samantha was overjoyed. She knew that it was a miracle, and she thanked God for his intervention. She realized that faith was not about seeing to believe, but believing to see.
In Mark 8, Jesus feeds a crowd of 4,000 with just a few loaves of bread and fish. The disciples were skeptical, but Jesus showed them that with faith, anything was possible. Samantha learned that lesson too, and it changed her life forever. She knew that with faith, she could overcome any obstacle. "Jesus said to them, "Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened?" – Mark 8:17