"A certain centurion's slave, who was highly regarded by him, was sick and about to die. And when he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders asking Him to come and save the life of his slave." Luke 7:2-3 (NASB77) This is quite amazing in these Roman times that a centurion, a man high up in the hierarchy of the day, would be concerned about a slave-someone who no one pays attention to! This centurion was concerned about his slave, however, and he sent Jewish elders to Jesus in order that he might be healed: "Now Jesus started on His way with them; and when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to Him, 'Lord, do not trouble Yourself further, for I am not worthy for You to come under my roof; for this reason, I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed.'" Luke 7:6-7 (NASB77)
Here is another amazing thing: This centurion, so high in the hierarchy of his day, felt-unworthy! Wow! What a difference from other centurions! And this man displays yet another difference between himself and other centurions of his day: He shows utmost faith in Jesus! He adamantly tells Jesus that He doesn't even need to come in his dwelling, for just one word and the slave will be healed: "For I, too, am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, 'Go!' And he goes; and to another, 'Come!' And he comes; and to my slave, 'Do this!' And he does it." Luke 7:8) (NASB77)
Jesus' response? "Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him, and turned and said to the multitude that was following Him, 'I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.'" Luke 7:8-9 (NASB77) And this faith lead to healing: "And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health." Luke 7:10 (NASB77)
All we need is a mustard seed-sized faith. The
smallest seed in the world; however, once planted, it grows and grows and grows:
"If you have faith as a mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, 'Move from
here to there,' and it shall move; and nothing shall be impossible to you.'"
Matthew 17:20 (NASB77) The husband of one of my former colleagues at school was
facing cancer. I asked her if I could come and visit him to pray for his
healing, but she explained that this would make him uncomfortable. He was having
a hard time sharing with others that he had cancer, and to date, he had only
told his best friends and hadn't even told his brother. She then looked up at me
and asked, "Will you pray for him anyway?"
I assured her I would, and I did. Jesus was, after
all, quite creative when He healed people. He was always personal, and he healed
anyone, even that slave whom He had never seen! Three weeks later while my
students were watching skits in another classroom, the teacher of that classroom
came to me saying there was someone who wanted to see me…in the cloak room! That
seemed pretty strange to me, but I dutifully entered the cloak room, and there
was my former colleague whose husband had cancer. She was crying as she reached
out to give me a bit hug: "I want to thank you for your prayers. My husband had
two cancer nodules. They disappeared completely. The doctor has declared he is
cancer free." I quickly reassured her that the One who deserved the thanks was
our Heavenly Father, and she acknowledged this.
As I went back to my class, I couldn't help feeling
exhilarated and humbled at the same time. How good it is to help others and pray
for their illnesses, and how humbling to be chosen to be used on God's team. Our
Father wants us to work hand-in-hand with Him. When we do, that mustard seed of
faith will grow and grow, and nothing will stop it. This is how we learn to
trust Him completely: We pray in faith and God intervenes. It's as simple as
that.
This incident also served as a witness to the teacher
whose cloak room I visited. She is beginning to talk more and more about God,
for she now realizes that there is a Heavenly Father who cares for her. It all
started with one simple prayer. God did the rest.
Why not team up with our loving father. Just one
prayer can change the life of someone in need!
Rob Chaffart To contact us click here
Soon we will start with a new devotional series that will show us: The Source of Healing. Stay tuned…
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