“Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your son will live.’ The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way.” – John 4:50
Early in the earthly ministry of Jesus, there was an official who had some amount of interest and faith in Jesus. The critical question was, how much??? The man’s son was sick and he thought Jesus could help if He’d just come to his house in Capernaum. To evaluate this man’s faith, Jesus didn’t agree to come with him. Jesus simply told him to go back home, trusting that Jesus had already healed the child.
To do that, without arguing, requires far more faith than hunting down the latest miracle worker and asking him to come over and do something. It was a real test to make the multi-day walk back home with nothing to show for your efforts. No Jesus. Just a promise. Nonetheless, the man believed and he went home. His faith was genuine! The next day, while still walking home, he was met by his servants eager to tell him the good news that his son had recovered at the very moment Jesus spoke these words.
Jesus is compassionate, loving, faithful, and powerful. However, He won’t hesitate to test your faith to see if it’s genuine. It doesn’t take much faith to give something a shot when you’re desperate. It takes far more faith to walk away from that last shot with nothing to show for your efforts but a promise. It turns out that official had tremendous faith in Jesus though he had far less evidence to base it on than we have today.
So, what’s your faith like? Is it like the official’s? When you pray to Jesus, can you trust and be at peace when He tells you it’s going to be OK? Or do you continue trying to control His response, even after He’s quietly given you everything you needed? Jesus is trustworthy. Cultivate faith like this official’s. #FollowJesus