When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer[ came and pleaded with him, "Lord, my young servant[ lies inbed, paralised and in terrible pain.”
Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.”
But the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed.I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.”
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven. But many Israelites—those for whom the Kingdom was prepared—will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, “Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.” And the young servant was healed that same hour.
What shape might "Great Faith" in our lives. We're human aren't we.
For many of us, real, true faith is much easier when we are surrounded by other people who believe in God and JESUS, when we're cozy, when the problem, illness, crisis or chaos , the distressed or broken are in someone else's family.
What do we do? Blend in with others encourage the Pastor or Clergy. .We can claim it, fake it, nod and amen, smile and hold the tissues, but where does "real faith" come in., I know this story to be word perfect true.
But real faith, is when one of your family has had a life threatening head injury in an early morning no-fault motorcycle accident. You're the only non-medical one around the stretcher as he is wheeled into therein specialist hospital 50 miles from the accident.i lived nearest. The brain injury is presumed fatal. They brought him 50 miles road rather than air ambulance - they judged he wouldn'tt take it
Whatcan any of us do"?do we do. We seek of the agreement of the doctors and nurses to pray, probably 10 or 12 of them. it was agreed and a few minutes later the moment of faith comes. they me in and all with all the staff surrounding the young man 99.9% dead. FAITH? what do say, what do you pray, do you lay hands on him - all this in few seconds. No rehearsal time or time to think........the moment of faith
Well, I prayed what would be deemed by some to be a pathetic prayer, zero charisma, hopeless bedside manner, but a real heart for GOD . I will not write what I said in that prayer, but I do remember it. Our Almighty God and Saviour had heard , and seen. HIS part was 99.999%, mine .0001%. There is a wonderful song written and sung by Dottie Rambo. she
Later that day, the inevitable meeting iwithe family in the family room with the senior brain surgeon and team was themed with doom. "The injury is severe there is nothing we can do. He urged the family to let him go. family were devastated but after really aggressive "He cannot survive" a figure of possibility was agreed at 1,000,00:1 chance of survival.
He lived through the night and the day and the next and on for five or six weeks saline only , no medication, no help, no brain activity, and then, a slight move in one toe."spasm" the surgeon said. later a finger then he began to wake up. there was a long road ahead and little by little he came out of. the coma.
One of the family had been by his bedside right through and my niece, his mother, phoned one morning to say he was awake and singing one of his old Sunday school songs. gloriously out of tune initially. I went in that day and he recognised me straightaway. but where was he in his thinking.
I should have said that in the accident he broke the front windscreen pillarsof the car who crossed his path WITH HIS HEAD. as I walked out of the ward, I turned, looked him and had a very unusual GOD moment. all I said was "See you later alligator" and his instant response "In a while crocodile" I knew then thatLORD had done an amazing thing and no one on the list would be having any of his vital organs, He wasn't ready to be a donor.
By the way, the LORD mended all his broken bones when he was asleep. and a very determined young man is almost back to his normal life, although he's given up he has given up his championship martial arts.
Memoarable moments to look back on but very humbling to recount. a lady named Dottie Rambo penned an amazing song which nails any sense of my part.
"I boast not of works or tell of good deeds, For nought have I done to merit HIS grace, All glory and praise shall rest upon HIM, So willing to die in my place"