There are times in our lives where we are just desperate. It could be a health issue, a financial crisis or disunity in our family, but we’ve all come to the place where we are out of options and we need God to intervene.
When I’m faced with desperate circumstances, I’m often reminded of the story of the centurion’s faith in Luke 7:1-10. These 10 little verses contain profound truths how we should behave when faced with difficulties in life.
The centurion believed in God’s power
From the text, we can tell that the centurion didn’t have a prior relationship with Jesus, but he had heard about Jesus’ work in the villages and he believed to the point that he knew all Jesus had to do was “say the word” to heal his servant.
Today’s Christian society has made a mockery of believing for something big. When I’m praying for a mountain to be moved in my life, other believers will say to me, “Are you serious? You’re actually going to pray for that?”
And my answer is, “Why not?”
Just look at creation. All that we see in this world, was created from God saying, “Let there be…” The weight of God’s word is more powerful than anything I have encountered, which is how I know that God is who He says He is.
The centurion knew all Jesus had to do was speak, and his servant would be healed. We need to put our faith in the power of God’s Word when faced with desperate situations.
Jesus doesn’t care about our “accomplishments”
When the centurion’s friends first approach Jesus, they try to convince him that the centurion is worth helping. They say, “He loves our nation, Jesus. He’s a good guy. He built the synagogue. That’s why you should help him.”
Do you ever find yourself doing that when you pray to ask Jesus for something? You might say something like, “You know, I’ve been doing good things for a long time. God, I’ve been faithful to your Word. I’ve been serving you for years…”
The centurion’s good deeds didn’t convince Jesus to heal his servant. Jesus didn’t heal the servant until the centurion demonstrated his remarkable faith by telling Jesus not to come to his house, but to just “say the word.”
Jesus is looking for believers who trust him wholeheartedly and without reservation, not Christians who do good things.
Jesus marvels at faith
Luke 7:9 says, “And when Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turned and said unto the multitude that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.” (Emphasis added.)
In the Greek, it says “he admired,” and some translations say “he was amazed.” I don’t know about you, but I want to have the kind of faith Jesus admires. I want to believe that Jesus can do all He says He’s going to do. I want Him to do the impossible in my life.
God’s work in our life starts with us simply asking the Lord to “say the Word.”
“You have the power. When you speak, everything bows, so say the Word.”
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Autumn Miles is the author of “Appointed: Your Future Starts Now” and the founder and CEO of The Blush Network, a conference ministry dedicated to spiritually challenging the way women think. Autumn is an accomplished speaker who leads women’s conferences nationwide through The Blush Network. She is also the host of “The Autumn Miles Show,” a Christian radio show on Salem Radio Network in Dallas, Texas and sits on the advisory council for the women’s ministry department at Liberty University.