06 Apr Believe the Word
“Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.” The man took Jesus at his word and departed. (John 4:50)
Perhaps the saddest place to visit is a children’s hospital. The sight of adorable little faces fighting to live is overwhelming. Their devoted parents sleep at the hospital, shedding their tears, saying their prayers, and seeking to do anything they can to have their child healed.
In Jesus’ first miracle in John’s Gospel, a scared father begs Jesus to heal his dying child. Without making the 18-mile journey to the child, Jesus instead chooses to heal from a distance by the sheer power of His Word.
Unable to see or know that his child was well, the father simply trusted the words of Jesus. This is faith: trusting in the Word of God until it becomes a reality that we see. Romans 10:17 (NKJV) says it this way, “Faith comes by hearing… the word of God.”
Faith is an internal conviction that leads to external action. This father demonstrates his internal faith by walking away from Jesus and heading home fully believing that Jesus had healed his sick child. We learn from his example that faith is not just what you know, but acting on what you know and trusting it to be true.
In many ways, we are in the same position as this father. The Bible promises that there is a future coming when all sickness and death are banished forever. But, we are not yet to our Home. Instead, like the father, we are away from Home, trusting in the Word of God, and journeying ahead until our faith becomes sight.
How is your time in God’s Word going? What things has God already told you that you need to act upon?
