He (Jesus) was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 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. When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well. (Luke 7:6b-10)
About 10 years ago, I had a self-righteous boss. In her opinion, her therapists were inadequate. She would comment adversely about our patient treatments when our patients were present and listening. When she said, “come,” we would go hide.
The centurion understood God’s love, led humbly, and had great faith, three characteristics Jesus desires in his followers. This centurion loved his servants, treating them as he wished to be treated, and they, in turn, did anything for him. He was humble, knowing he wasn’t worthy or deserving of Jesus, none of us are. It’s by God’s grace Jesus saved us, and we are grateful. The centurion had extraordinary faith, knowing Jesus need not be present to perform miracles and answer prayers. We need strong faith because Jesus is present only in Spirit. Though it’s difficult to believe in the existence of a non-physical being early in our Christian lives, it becomes easier with a history of answered prayers. Jesus was amazed at the centurion’s faith, and He’s amazed at ours also.
Father God, change my heart to love more perfectly. Thank you for answered prayer that strengthens my faith. Help me be humble, seeking opportunities to serve others. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is a perfect reminder of what we need to aspire to. Always loving God and Jesus and being a faithful servant. Always being humble and serving others and keeping our faith. If we have a strong faith then we present that to others in our being. It was much harder to have a strong faith when I was younger and I don’t really understand why that is. I understand that answered prayers helps build faith. But it seems like there is a lot more to it than just answered prayers. I pray about something and many times I feel like it has fallen on deaf ears. Prayer is not always answered the way we think it should or when we think it should be.
Thanks for making me think. Feeling God’s presence, coincidences, and having time to watch the sunrise also help with faith. Can you think of others? Prayer never falls on deaf ears, but often the answer is, “no,” especially in regard to healing. We may all have a time God has planned for us to die.
There are so, so many things that help with faith. I just think that when you are younger you just don’t think about them the way an older person does. Older and wiser? Life experiences? Things that I think of when I need help with faith, the miracle of the human body. The miracle of a baby coming to life in a woman’s body. The night sky, the universe, the planets and stars, the food chain, the flowers in the meadow. I believe that God started it all. His hands made all of this.
I think you are right that we think more about God and faith when we get older. I guess now we have time to breathe! I would also like to think I’m wiser! As you pointed out God has everything to do with science, so I’m not quite sure why many scientists don’t believe in God.