A Way to Strengthen Faith

“I love working out because if you put in the work and do your reps, you will see results.”

My uncle said these words the other night and I’ve been turning them around in my mind ever since.

He’s right, you know.

Our muscles do grow stronger when we exercise them. That’s just the way our bodies work.

Of course, we’ve probably all heard it said that the same is true for faith.

Our faith muscle grows the more we exercise it.

And I don’t know about you, but I long for a stronger faith these days.

Because when trials come, I don’t want my trust in God to buckle under the strain of circumstances. And, likewise, when life is going well and exciting opportunities are on the horizon, I want faith in God—not fear or self—to be the biggest determining factor in how I move forward.

So lately, I’ve been wondering: “How can I exercise my faith?”

“What are the actions, which if done repeatedly, can actually strengthen my faith muscle in a practical way during this time in my life?”

Well, Mary of Bethany teaches us one such strengthening exercise. It’s the one thing she does consistently every time she appears in Scripture.

Let’s read those verses together:

“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.”
Luke 10:38-39

“When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’”
John 11:32

“Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.”
John 12:2-3

Do you see it?

Mary kept returning to the feet of Jesus…

To Listen:

In the Luke passage, while Martha was busy with dinner preparations, Mary sat at His feet—listening.

This was a humble, teachable position.

We don’t know what Jesus talked about that night, but whatever it was Mary hungrily took it all in. I get the sense that rather than listening with skeptical ears, Mary’s listening came with a surrender to His perspective.

As she sat at Jesus’ feet, she laid down her understanding and listened to pick up His instead.

To Pour out Disappointments:

In John 11, we see Mary meet Jesus after His delay and Lazarus’ death.

She fell at His feet with all her disappointments and grief over the way things turned out. “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” You can almost hear the quiver in her voice.

But the story didn’t end here. Because Mary dared to fall on Jesus’ feet with honest words, she got to experience her grief with Jesus. He joined in her weeping.

And also, she got to see Jesus’ do more than she could have ever imagined. In the end, He raised her brother from the dead.

What a faith-strengthening example.

As Mary fell at Jesus feet, she laid down her disappointments, experienced them with the Lord and then continued walking forward with Him to see what He would do next.

To Worship:

In John 12, Mary’s family threw a dinner party for Jesus. And again, we find Mary in her favorite position. Only this time, we find her worshipping.

“Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair.” (v3)

That perfume was worth a whole year’s wages.

As Mary worshipped at Jesus’ feet, she laid down her earthly treasure. Because, as she saw who He was and what He had done for her, she realized: Jesus Himself was her greatest treasure.

Nothing this world could offer compared to Him. He was worth her all—and that translated into giving up her interests and her honor for His.

So what do we learn from the life of Mary?

As we go through life, we, too, must return to Jesus’ feet, over and over again…

Through Scripture: To lay down our understanding and pick up His
Through Prayer: To lay down our disappointments, grieve them with Jesus and then walk forward with Him by faith.
And Through Worship: To lay aside the temporal things that matter most to us so we can find our treasure in Him.

The more often we return to Jesus’ feet, the more our faith will grow.

Because from that vantage point, our perspective changes.

If we’re sitting at the feet of Jesus, then no matter what else we see happening in our lives, we will see it with Jesus at the forefront of our view. And this transforms how we live out our faith.

When the trials come, seeing Jesus first will keep us trusting. And when opportunities come, seeing Jesus first will help us move forward seeking His glory, not ours.

So this week, may our faith be strengthened by countless reps of returning to our Savior’s feet.

This devotion is based on one of the Scriptures from my reading plan: “The Wonder of the Cross.” To receive a copy of the reading plan, sign up for the email list below. Hope you’ll follow along!

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