Welcome back to Faith and Soul Care. I’m Sherry Elaine, and this
is the second episode in a series, How to Ask God for Help? Effective Prayer
Methods and Practices.
Today we are investigating the question —
What is effective faith – or what is active faith—and what does that look like? I think this episode may go a little longer than typical based on my instructional notes here – however, I encourage you to stay through to the end - because the answer to this question – what does effective or active faith look like – may surprise you, especially it may surprise you by its simplicity.
We're going to look at one of the most powerful and relatable stories in
the Gospels, from Mark chapter 5. And we’ll reflect together on what it really
means to demonstrate a faith that pleases God.
Here’s the story from the reading in Mark 5:24b–34 (ESV):
“…and a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. And there was a
woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered
much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better
but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind
him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, “If I touch even his
garments, I will be made well.” And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and
she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.
And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power
had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who
touched my garments?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd
pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” And he looked around
to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came
in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth.
And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and
be healed of your disease.”
Jesus Commended Her Faith – But How Did She Do to Be Commended?
There’s so much tenderness in this story. But one of the things that
stands out to me most is the way in which this woman demonstrated active
faith.
Let’s think about her situation for a moment.
She’d been sick for twelve years. She was likely exhausted.
Financially drained. Emotionally isolated. Depleted. And yet—she left her
home, entered a crowd, and pushed her way forward just to touch the
edge of Jesus’s garment.
She didn’t just believe in Jesus from a distance—she moved toward Him.
She acted on her belief. That’s active faith.
Now we may think – well she had the opportunity to go towards Jesus
because He was in the flesh at that time.
But don’t think that way. He was nearby then; and He is nearby for us
now, in Spirit.
It’s the same kind of faith we’re called to have. Is not performative, it
is not laborious work or volunteering – it is based on choosing to believe
truly and fully so much so that we are actually intentionally going to Jesus
for our request and needs. Active faith is simply demonstrating that what we
say we believe is what we really believe – especially as it comes to praying
and meeting with God.
Hebrews 11:6 reminds us:
“Without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes
to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek
Him.”
The woman believed, and she sought Him out.
Now I am moving on a bit – but I am coming back to Hebrews 11:6 and we
are going to go into that verse deeply; and you do not want to miss it. So stay with me and let’s keep going because
I think you are going to have an “ah hah” moment just like I did.
What Active Faith Isn't
Sometimes, I think we misunderstand what effective faith or what active
faith is. We might picture someone going on a mission trip, leading a Bible
study, or starting a nonprofit. And while those things can be
expressions of faith, that’s not what Jesus pointed to in this passage.
He didn’t say, “Daughter, your service has healed you.”
He didn’t say, “Your perfect theology or attendance and volunteering has healed
you.” Never said anything like that.
He said, “Your faith has healed you.”
And how did she demonstrate that faith? She moved toward Jesus based on
what she fully believed to be true about Him.
It was her belief, backed up by her action.
We might say I believe God hears me when we pray. I believe He is all powerful,
all-knowoing, and willing to help. I believe I have access to His presence and
that He is right here with me.
But do our actions match that belief?
If we really believe He hears and responds— the maker of the world, the
all powerful God the most excellent and wise counselor - why wouldn’t we go to
Him regularly? Even every day?
If we don’t go to Him regularly, it’s probably worth asking ourselves:
Do we really believe He’s listening? If so, why aren’t we speaking to Him
daily?
Now – a lot of the time – it’s because we believe He listens in general—but for
whatever reason – we don’t believe He listens to or is willing to help us, personally.
And that is not true.
Jesus stopped in a moving crowd of people because one hurting woman
reached for Him in faith. And He noticed.
He will notice you, too.
Deep Dive into Hebrews 11:6
Now let’s go back to Hebrews 11:6:
“Without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes
to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek
Him.”
This word for word translation just doesn’t catch the implications in the
original Greek. So let’s
go deeper into Hebrews 11:6. This is one of those verses that’s just
overflowing with meaning. First, it says, “Without faith it is impossible
to please God…” But the word impossible here is adúnatos,
and it doesn’t just mean something can’t happen—it carries the sense of being powerless
or weak. So you could understand it this way: without real
belief and trust—without faith—our prayers are actually weak. They’re
missing their strength. Because faith, as we’ve talked about before, is more
than just belief—it’s trust and it leads to action – it leads to observable
characteristics in our behavior and in us.
Hebrews 11:6 then shows us exactly what that active faith looks like: “anyone
who comes to Him…” But the Greek word here isn’t just a casual
coming—it’s proserchomai, which means
to draw near, to come close. It’s the idea of
approaching God with intention. And the word must—as in,
“must believe that He exists”—that’s not as forceful in Greek. It’s more like,
“it only makes sense.” If we believe that God is who He says He is—powerful,
loving, generous, wise—then of course we would intentionally come close to Him.
It’s the logical next step.
Then the verse says God rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
And that phrase—earnestly seek—comes from
the Greek word ekzētehō. It’s in the present
participle active form, which means this is something the person is
doing ongoing, continually, and regularly. They’re actively, habitually seeking God. And
this word even has a sense of investigation to it—like
digging in, writing down prayer requests, watching for answers. It’s expectant.
Intentional.
And the reward? The Greek suggests it’s not just a random gift—the word used
for reward implies that the reward is given to the person based on the fact that the
person has done something that aligns with what God values.
And what does God value? Our time. Our drawing near. Our
trust. That’s what active, powerful faith really is—when our actions
regarding prayer – regarding our coming near to God - match what we say we
believe. When there’s no cognitive dissonance. That’s the kind of prayer life
that actually pleases God—and fills us with His power and causes our prayers to
be effective.
So – if you are scratching your head a little bit I recommend you go back
and listen to that unpacking of Hebrews 11:6 again, and then again, until the
simple truth of it sinks in. I want you to have the same “ah-hah” moment that I
had. This is the reason people who have effective prayer lives – this is why.
The Simplicity of Active Faith
So what does active faith look like in everyday life?
It’s not complicated.
It’s just this: you wake up, and you make time to go to God.
You take your concerns, your confusion, your pain, and your
praise—straight to Him.
You write down your requests because you really believe you are going to
get a response maybe not right away – you are so sure of this faith that you
are documenting How God responds in a manner of that Greek work exateho – meaning
you are earnestly seeking and investigating his response.
When we do that, day after day, we build a life with no cognitive
dissonance in this area—no gap between what we say we believe and how we
live with regards to our prayer life.
Prayer is the most foundational demonstration of active faith. It’s the clearest sign that we fully believe God is near, that He cares, and
that He is able.
Soul Care Practice
Here’s your soul care practice this week:
- Begin each morning with a short,
sincere prayer:
“Lord, I believe You’re near. I believe You hear me. Help me come to You with active faith today.” - Then make sure later in the day
you do have a time for more intentional, focused prayer. It doesn’t have
to be long or filled with fanciful phrases. But it does need to be
regular. Because it’s in the regularity, it’s the consistency - that
strengthens both demonstrates our faith and also strengthens our faith.
Closing Announcements, Upcoming Cohort, & Resources
So now in closing – I want to share with you what is coming up and
available to you as a listener. If you’re longing to build a more consistent
and powerful prayer life—where you not only talk to God but being receiving
His responses and noticing His work
around you—I want to invite you to join my Faith & Soul Care Cohort
this fall.
We’ll begin in September, after Labor Day, and registration will
open soon. I believe registration will open August 11th. If you’re on my email list, you’ll be thefirst to know when that opens. The links to sign up and for notification are
here in the show notes and right in the blog post.
The cohort is a small group experience where we learn and practice
spiritual habits together—like daily prayer, Scripture-based journaling, slowing
down and releasing stress through somatic practices. We also learn to give our
anxieties to God and clear out our mental clutter. And we learn evidence and
faith based strategies for living more intentionally with more peach and joy in
our everyday lives.
You can learn more at SherryElaine.com/cohorts….It’s about 6 to 7 weeks
before we start the cohort, so in the meantime if you want to get a jump start
– there are some book resources you may want to review and get -
These are at SherryElaine.com/books, where I recommend starting with:
- Closer to God: Simple Methods Starting Today – a quick and practical read filled with the soul care rhythms we
practice in the cohort.
- The Words of Jesus Bible Study – a workbook-style study through
the words of Jesus in Mark and also some in Matthew, with 70 short lessons
that will deepen your understanding of Jesus’s teachings – what He wanted
us to know most. And hey 70 lessons
if you do 1 or 2 a day you will be finished just about the time the cohort
starts!
Now neither of those are required to sign up for the cohort but they are
available for those who want a resource to start now.
Finally - Remember: God is near.
And He is willing.
He’s just waiting for you to reach regularly, consistently, and in faith.
Gratefully,
Sherry
Join my private FB group, we are currently studying Jesus's teachings in Mark. Request to join HERE: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ministrymall/