#69 I More Ready to Help You, Than You Are Prepared to Ask of Me

Yet it seems singular language which the Lord here uses. He confesses that virtue is gone out of Him. As new the woman stands before Him and acknowledges the benefit bestowed by Him, He gives no indication that a virtue has gone out from Him, but ascribes all to the faith of the woman, although not she herself, but the Lord has helped her. But the Lord observes this manner in order to inform us thereby how well He is pleased if you expect from Him everything good and ask Him for help. It is as though He would say: See to it, and learn to believe confidently, no matter in what need you are, that I will indeed more readily help you than you are prepared to ask. I am much more ready to deliver you from death than you are to desire life. This He proves by the fact; it is easy to obtain from Him the healing power so much desired. This example should teach us to believe and to expect everything good from Christ, in every time of need and anxiety. But, the fact is, we hear it preached, we are told of it at home, and perceive the miracles which He continues to perform every day, and yet we are very slow to believe. Whoever sees his cellar and granary filled may believe, and yet doubts whether he will have enough to eat and to drink for a. year. Those who enjoy good health believe that God can help them. But when we are exposed to poverty and disease, then our faith is at an end. Then we do nothing but complain and cry, and imagine help to be found nowhere, though we are informed every day that God will be gracious unto us and help us through Christ. (Luther’s House Postil, Sermon for the Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Trinity, Volume 3, p. 884-885)