Three Faiths That Move Mountains
by: Tamra Richardt
February 4, 2026
“Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.’ Jesus told her, ’Your brother will rise again.’ ‘Yes,’ Martha said, ‘he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.’ Jesus told her, ’I am the resurrection and the life.[e] Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ she told him. ‘I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.’”
Faith Against the Odds
Before I was born, my father was working in a factory creating bombs for WW2. He was 27, tall and handsome, with a head full of dark wavy hair. It’s easy to see why my mother fell for him. They had two little boys, Larry, six and Richard, just one year old. During his time at the factory, he was exposed to extremely toxic materials and prided himself on being one of the men who could stay the longest in contaminant filled areas without seeing repercussions.
All the men who worked on that factory line ended up dying from the toxicity and radiation present. My father was the last one standing. He began to get very sick, losing his hair, losing weight, extremely nauseous and weak. He ended up in Barnes Hospital in St. Louis with what doctors diagnosed as cancer of the blood, a type of Leukemia, due to his exposure to radiation and other toxic chemicals.
During his six-month hospital stay he received 13 blood transfusions, as this was the only way doctors knew to treat his condition at that time. Many prayers were prayed over him.
He and mother were strong believers. They knew God could heal. My mother did not want to be left alone with two children to raise, and my father wanted to live to raise his children - a powerful motivation for faith.
After six long, grueling months he was sent home with this prognosis: “You have only a few weeks to live. You need to get your affairs in order.” At this point, he looked like a dead man walking. He was the color of a Fall pumpkin, and had lost nearly 40 pounds.
The first thing Dad wanted to do was to go to church. Sitting in their customary pew, a young evangelist was ministering that evening. He preached a fiery sermon and when he finished, opened the altar for prayer. Dad leaned over to mother and said, “I want to go forward.” Gingerly, he made his way to the front. I can only imagine what went through that young minister’s mind as Dad came toward him. But faithfully he prayed.
Dad said it felt like warm oil had been poured over his head, and he waited until the sensation made its way through his body, all the way to his feet. When he walked back to his seat he proclaimed, “I believe God has healed me.”
Mother said Dad had been without appetite for many weeks, but the next day awoke ravenous. She couldn’t make enough food for him! Within a few months he’d gained all his weight back and his thick, black, wavy hair was growing in! Imagine the surprise of his doctors when he made his way to their office, a modern-day Lazarus, risen from the dead!
If God hadn’t healed my Father, I would not be alive to write this devotional or share this amazing story of faith against the odds.
Scripture shares a similar story in the book of John.
(NLT, John 11: 21-26) “Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.’ Jesus told her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ ‘Yes,’ Martha said, ‘he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.’ Jesus told her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life.[e] Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ she told him. ‘I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.’”
Look at verse 22 where Martha said to Jesus, “But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.” She is clearly stating that she knew Jesus could raise Lazarus from the dead if He wanted to. She had faith against the odds.
Faith in Humility
Marguerite was a young mother of three when she witnessed a group of elderly people being evicted from their homes. She could see the anguish in their worn faces, and the overwhelming fear and uncertainty they carried on their shoulders.
Her heart was moved with such compassion that she and her husband went to a local banker to obtain a loan to purchase a three-story apartment building. They could not afford this. They weren’t people of wealth. They were people of humility and faith. They sought God about it, shared their vision and God opened the doors.
Marguerite gathered those displaced souls and carefully moved them into the apartment building, along with many others. This was a place of safety and care, where love was plentiful and the food delicious. She cared for those sweet souls like they were her own family, running up and down three flights of stairs, taking medicine and meals to all. This became one of the earliest assisted living centers in the state of Illinois. The woman was my mother, her husband, my father. Their legacy of faith coupled with genuine humility and genuine care, is a testimony people remember still today. God honored their humble faith and blessed many through them.
Scripture shares a profound example of humble faith in Matthew.
(NLT, Matthew 15:21-28) “Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Gentile woman who lived there came to him, pleading, ‘Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely.’ But Jesus gave her no reply, not even a word. Then his disciples urged him to send her away. ‘Tell her to go away,’ they said. ‘She is bothering us with all her begging.’ Then Jesus said to the woman,’I was sent only to help God’s lost sheep—the people of Israel.’ But she came and worshiped him, pleading again, ‘Lord, help me!’ Jesus responded, ‘It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.’ She replied, ‘That’s true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their masters’ table.’ ‘Dear woman,’ Jesus said to her, ‘your faith is great. Your request is granted.’ And her daughter was instantly healed.”
Faith in Authority
The mother of a well-known minister was a woman of great faith. She spent a lot of time on her knees before God, and truly believed God could do anything. She put her faith in action one eventful day.
Her older model car was being cantankerous. It seemed to have a mind of its own, starting some days, but not others and had been in the shop a number of times with no clear-cut reason for its unreliable behavior.
This particular day, she had somewhere to go and needed to be there on time. She woke early, dressed for the appointment and went out to get into her car. Stubbornly the vehicle would not start. It wouldn’t even turn over. Determining it was not an issue with the battery she took authority over the situation. Laying her hands on the hood of the car, directly above the engine she said this: “Engine, I’ve had enough of you. In the name of Jesus, I command you to run, and to never give me another moment's trouble from this day on!”
Getting behind the wheel one more time, she turned the ignition and the engine roared into action! She kept that car for many years and never had a single incident of misbehavior after that day.
Scripture shares a wonderful example of faith in authority in Romans.
(NLT, Romans 8:5-10,13) "When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him, ‘Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.’ Jesus said, ‘I will come and heal him.’ But the officer said, ‘Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.’ When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, ‘I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!’ Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, ‘Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.’ And the young servant was healed that same hour.”
These three different types of faith; faith against the odds, faith in humility, and faith in authority were all witnessed by Jesus. They were faith that amazed Him and moved Him to action. Object lessons for us all. It’s interesting to note the example of faith against the odds was found in a Jewish woman named Martha. Faith in humility was a Gentile woman, telling us that faith can produce incredible outcomes for literally anyone who believes God, and the faith in authority was found in a Roman officer.
(NLT, Hebrews 11:6) "And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”
Faith is not a request, it's a requirement for those of us who believe in God and call ourselves Christ followers. How do we find our faith when we don’t have it - when the problem seems too big, the illness too complicated, our finances too dire?
Mark 9:24 (NLT): "Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, 'I believe; help my unbelief!'" We can ask for God to fill our hearts with faith when we lack it.
1 John 5:14 (ESV): "And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." It is certainly His will that we have faith!
Romans 10:17 (ESV): "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” When we get into God’s word, particularly, Hebrews chapter 11, we see how others responded with faith in incredible circumstances. This can encourage us.
Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV): "You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” Prayer and intimate time carved out with the Lord will always strengthen our faltering faith and help us to see things through His perspective.
Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus, I come before You today in thanksgiving for all that You have done for me. I ask that You forgive me for my lack of faith and that You fill every corner of my heart with the kind of faith that Jesus had. Unshakable faith. Faith against the odds. Faith acting in humility, and authority. Faith in the Father who never fails.
Worship: Oceans
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Before I was born, my father was working in a factory creating bombs for WW2. He was 27, tall and handsome, with a head full of dark wavy hair. It’s easy to see why my mother fell for him. They had two little boys, Larry, six and Richard, just one year old. During his time at the factory, he was exposed to extremely toxic materials and prided himself on being one of the men who could stay the longest in contaminant filled areas without seeing repercussions.