"The Word of God is alive and active, penetrating and healing like a surgeons knife. If you aren't sure about the Bible's trustworthiness-Or if you have friends who aren't sure-just give yourselves to reading it. Even if you don't believe a knife is sharp, if it is, it can still cut you"---Tim Keller.
This speaks perfectly to my thoughts as I was preparing to type this blog, so I thought I would share it.
So many times the Lord uses experiences and challenges we are facing to bring new revelation from scripture. Things we've read a dozen times suddenly come alive when we are walking through difficult situations. That is the power of the Holy Spirit in the living Word of God. I experienced this recently while praying for my family. They has been walking through some tough times...if you have been following these blogs I have spoken some about this. One thing I sometimes struggle with when praying for others, if they are not themselves walking with the Lord, is the thought, what are those prayers doing on a spiritual level. I do believe the Lord moves on behalf of others when we pray but it can be hard sometimes to see the fruit. I felt the Lord recently lead me to start reading in the New Testament. I had been lingering in the Psalms for a while so decided to start at the beginning, and turned to Matthew. As I was reading Matthew I came to the passage below. A passage I have read a dozen times but this time I stopped, stopped and questioned. Stopped and re-read. Stopped and listened.
Matthew 8:5-13
5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help.6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”
7 Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”
8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.
At first when reading this passage I did not understand why Jesus said that He had not found anyone with such faith in Israel. What about this man was different? This question in my heart prompted me to read it again with more intention. As I read it for a second time the Holy Spirit spoke to me in a big way. the first thing I noted was his tremendous humility. Pointing out the fact that he had men under him, great authority and power and yet did not feel worthy to have the Lord enter his home. Showing not only humility but great understanding of who Jesus was/is as the highest authority and power. The second thing I noticed was that he came for someone else. Not for himself or what the Lord could do for him....and not even a family member or friend but a servant. A servant that anyone else might have simply left to die, he went to Jesus, and humbled himself for this man. The third thing that stood out to me, was that this centurion, who had an offer from Jesus to come to his house "Shall I come and heal him?", had the faith to believe that Jesus could heal his servant from right where He stood. That He was not only all powerful, but omnipresent. In most other instances in Matthew where Jesus healed someone, He did so by touching them. Or by them touching Him. Yet this centurion, without having seen Jesus do a miracle from afar, had the faith to believe He could, and that He would. And Jesus did, the servant was healed by this centurions faith...a faith for someone else, from somewhere else. Jesus honored his faith, and made a point to state for those around them what an amazing faith it was. I was so encouraged as I read this passage. It's easy to become use to the ideas in the stories we have read so many times. The truth of God's word can become almost taken for granted, for those of us who have thousands of years of post resurrection heritage of faith to stand on. Years of Sunday school lessons and Bible studies and the like.... But in a way I felt like I was there with the centurion, as I read it the second, third, and fourth time. Like I could see him kneeling down before Jesus with tears in his eyes. Nervous and unprepared for the wonder and majesty of his king. With bravery and trembling seeking hope for another man. Not even able to look Him in the eyes but knowing in his heart that this man, this teacher, was so much more then a man. A saving, healing, Son of God, who was willing and able to do a miracle right then and there for a person who maybe, was not even aware that any of it was happening....for a person who may not even have believed himself. If his faith was enough to see the Lord move on behalf of someone else, then nothing should stop me from praying for those around me regardless of the circumstances. Faith can move mountains. Sometime those mountains are moved for someone else, from somewhere else.
No comments:
Post a Comment