He could not do any miracles there (Nazareth), except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their lack of faith.” (Mark 6:5-6a)

The wording here is puzzling. The word “any” means “no” and yet he was able to heal some who were ill. Possibly these healings were for minor things and thus not seen as very important, but still, He did perform some miracles. Jesus’ home town was suspicious of Him. They didn’t know if they could trust Him. He was known to them because he was raised in their hometown of Nazareth. Their faith was weak and didn’t even allow them to give Him a chance to prove who He was. They may have even hidden from His presence out of fear or suspicion. Jesus would have to go to those who could be more open to the possibilities He offered.

Do we differ from these who cautiously approached Jesus? Do we hold back from approaching Him in prayer because we don’t really have enough faith that He can make a difference? Our enemy, the Devil, spares no means to discourage us from approaching our Lord Jesus. We must draw closer to Jesus through His Word if we expect to trust Him with our life. We must draw closer to Jesus if we expect to call upon Him in our times of need. We can be certain He is just waiting for us to ask.

Heavenly Father, one thing we do not want is a lack of faith in Your Son, Jesus. Strengthen our faith and trust in Him for every situation. Let Your Spirit bear witness to our spirit that Jesus is ready, willing and able to stand with us during our times of need with comfort, strength or healing. He loves us and will not abandon us. We thank Him for His faithfulness. In Jesus’ name. Amen.