In Matthew 8:5–13, a Roman centurion recognizes the limits of his own authority and trusts Jesus to heal his servant with nothing more than a word. Pastor Joe Donahue challenges us to spend our influence on those who cannot repay us, know our limits and ask for help, and believe Jesus before we see the answer. When we find ourselves somewhere between the prayer and the answer, we can bring what we cannot fix to Jesus and keep walking, trusting His word even when we cannot yet see what He is doing.

In Matthew 12:9–14, Jesus encounters a man with a deformed hand and restores what he had lost, showing us that broken people are drawn to Jesus. Pastor Joe Donahue reminds us that our struggles are not hidden from God—He knows what we have lost, why we hurt, and exactly what we need. Like the man who held out his broken hand, we can trust Jesus enough to stop hiding our brokenness and allow Him to restore what is broken in our lives.

In Matthew 9:1–8, four friends refuse to let anything keep their paralyzed friend from Jesus, showing us what it looks like to put faith into action. Pastor Joe Donahue challenges us to bring people to Jesus, do whatever it takes to help, and remember that when Jesus changes our lives, we should get moving and help others experience that same transformation. Someone once grabbed a corner of your mat—now it is your turn to grab a corner of theirs.

Trauma, shame, regret, and the pain of a broken world can change the way we see ourselves, but Jesus reaches out even when we struggle to love ourselves. In Week 1 of the Miracles series, Pastor Joe Donahue explores Mark 1:40–45 and the story of a man whose encounter with Jesus brought healing, restoration, and a second chance at life. Sometimes healing is instant and sometimes it is a process, but wherever you are and whatever you need healing from, Jesus is still reaching out.