Shauna Letellier - Remarkable Faith: When Jesus Marveled at the Faith of Unremarkable People

Copyright 2017 by Shauna Letellier

Cover design and illustration by Connie Gabbert.

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First Edition: July 2017

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Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version , NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked ( ESV ) are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scriptures noted AMP are taken from the Amplified Bible. Copyright 1954, 1962, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

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ISBNs: 978-1-4555-7168-0 (paperback), 978-1-4555-7169-7 (ebook)

E3-20191114-JV-PC-DPU

For Zach, Spencer, and Levi, my gifts from God who have pointed me toward my blessed desperation for my Savior.

For Kurt, my man of few words, your encouragement and patient support have enabled and fueled my writing. Your straightforward, hilarious editorial remarks have kept me honest.

For Jesus, whose kindness led me to the gift of repentance. Who allowed me to try and fail hard so that I would be eager to receive his rescuing grace. Thank you for tenderly teaching me you notice faith even in unremarkable people like me.

Because the people God uses dont have to know a lot of things, or have a lot of thingsthey just have to need him a lot.

Sally Lloyd-Jones, The Jesus Storybook Bible

God is looking for broken men who have judged themselves in the light of the cross of Christ. When He wants anything done, He takes up men who have come to the end of themselves, whose confidence is not in themselves, but in God.

H. A. Ironside, Men God Wants

Maybe youve resolved, again, to study your Bible more, serve at your church, or be a better wife, mom, husband, father, employee, or Christian. But the daily montage of your life accuses you of weak faith. Your life bears no evidence of ark-building, sea-crossing acts of faith. After a long day, week, or season you find yourself collapsed in your chair, shaking your head. Maybe youve just tucked your sweethearts into bed. With enthusiasm youve read to them of a giant-slaying boy with great faith in God. Perhaps you flipped through the rest of the childrens Bible, looking for a character with whom you can identify.

Or, maybe youve just stepped off the treadmill after your morning exercise, and driving to the same places, dealing with the same people, and doing it all again makes you feel like youre still on it. One foot in front of the other, the belt whirrs round the axles, day after day. Something about your daily life doesnt seem congruent with faith that pleases God.

But you are wrong.

When we look for examples of great faith in the gospels, we think of the disciples. They sat with rapt attention on the side of a mountain listening to Jesus teach with authority about a higher standard of righteousness. When he told them not to worry about where clothes and food would come from, he referred to these disciples who had left jobs, businesses, and family to follow him as you of little faith (Matthew 6:30).

We might think of Peter, who took a leap of faith to walk on water to Jesus. But when Peter lost sight of who Jesus was and focused on the raging storm around him, he began to doubt and drown. Then Jesus said, to the only disciple with the courage to leap, You of little faith, why did you doubt? (Matthew 14:31).

We might think of the disciples going through the towns of Galilee following in Jesus footsteps and attempting to do as he had done. At the foot of a mountain, nine of them were attempting to free a little boy from a torturous demon. They could not. When Jesus arrived, what did he have to say to his disciples? Thank you for attempting to do my work in my absence? No. Instead, he scolded their misplaced faith: You unbelieving and perverse generation, how long shall I stay with you? Jesus drove out the demon and freed the boy. Embarrassed and confounded, the disciples asked, Why couldnt we drive it out? He said to them, Because you have so little faith (see Matthew 17:1420).

If Jesus found so little faith with his disciples, whom he chose, did he find faith at all? Yes, he did.

Sprinkled throughout the gospels are the stories of eight nameless examples of faith. We identify them not by their names, but by their afflictions. Their lives were marked by desperation, pain, fatigue, hopelessness, disability, poverty, loneliness, and sin.