Verse of the day: Luke 7:9 When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at
him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, “I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!”
Without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb
11:6). That is a truth that cannot be repeated enough in our hearts and minds.
In this chapter of Luke, Jesus commends a Roman Centurion for his faith,
telling those that followed Him that He had not yet seen such faith from the
Jews, His chosen people, in all Israel. The Word of God tells us that great
things can happen if we even have a mustard seed-sized faith (Mt 17:20). Even
when we have faith that may be intermingled with a bit of our unbelief/doubt,
God will still move to work on our behalf, as Jesus did with the father who
sought healing for his son who was being tormented by an unclean spirit (Mk 9:23-24).
What did the Centurion see/recognize about Jesus that gave him such faith? It
is the same thing that we need to recognize in Christ, as His followers, which
will increase our faith in Him. The Centurion trusted that Jesus could heal his
servant because he recognized Jesus’ authority and power; he recognized Jesus’
omnipotence. He compared his own authority over his soldiers and servants, who
obeyed his commands, to Jesus’ authority to command whatever needed to be done,
and it would be done. One of the biggest stumbling blocks we have in any
troubling situation or circumstance is that we sometimes see our trial as being
bigger than what God can do; mostly because it seems impossible in our own mind
and thinking. When we focus our attention on circumstances they always seem
bigger than they really are, and we forget that nothing is impossible with God
(Mt 19:26; Mk 9:23; 10:23). Our Jesus is the same Jesus who has power over
death, the grave, sin, and nature itself. This Jesus is the same Savior who
rose from the dead. He defied the laws of gravity and walked on water; and with
just a word calmed a raging storm on the Sea of Galilee. This is the God who
promised never to leave us nor forsake us (Heb 13:5-6). He is the One who is
with us in all circumstances and has power and authority over all that has been
created because He is Creator (Jn 1:1-3; Col 1:17). It never ceases to amaze me
when I read the Gospels and Jesus confronts someone who is possessed. The
demons all react the same way, in fear and trembling because they know who He
is, and they know the power and authority He has over them and all creation (Mt
8:28-29; 9:32-33; Mk 5:1-7). Knowing that Jesus possesses all power, and all
authority has been given to Him (Mt 28:18), we must not doubt His ability to
accomplish the impossible in any situation or circumstance. All of God’s
creation is under Christ’s authority. This means that He is in control of what
happens in nature, amongst men, and in the spiritual world when our enemies
come against us; for even Satan and his demons are under His authority and
subordinate to Him. When Jesus chooses to allow a situation to continue,
regardless of how negative it may seem, He is allowing it for a reason beyond
our understanding, and we simply have to trust, by faith, that He is working
things together for our good (Rm 8:28). When He chooses to allow an illness to
continue or to allow a loved one to succumb to an illness, He has a reason that
is beyond our understanding, and He will eventually glorify Himself through those
circumstances. We often get so caught up in claiming the promise that all
things work together for our good that we forget that it is really primarily
about His glory. We forget that as painful as it is to lose someone dear to us,
especially if they are young and may even be a Christian, to God their passing
into eternity is precious because they are going home to be with Him (Ps
116:15). The bottom line is that we must not let our faith waver when we see
God do something that is contrary to what we are praying for, because He has
the power to do whatever He pleases and no one can stop Him from carrying out His
will and plan for any situation or circumstance. In the end, it is always
better to suffer in the center of His will than to seek our own resolution and
be outside of His will and plan for our lives, for in the end the latter will
be far more painful and unprofitable for us. When we become confident in Jesus’
omnipotence, it will help us to be at peace knowing that God can, and will,
move any situation in any direction He so desires in order to bring it to an end
that is best for us (resulting in increased faith), and will bring Him the
greatest glory.
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