Let It Be Done Just As You Have Believed

"Today's Devotion" For May 6, 2005

Read: Matthew 8:5-13; Isaiah 49:8-13, 22-23

LET IT BE DONE JUST AS YOU HAVE BELIEVED

"I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith...Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." (Mt. 8:10b, 13a)

Over the last couple of months, one of my daughters has been receiving mail informing her (and her parents) that she's been selected for different "Who's Who" lists related to high school students around the nation. Of course there's always something they want you to purchase so that you can gain the "most benefit" from inclusion on the lists. I've seen some of those lists over the years, but I can't honestly tell you that I've ever seen any of the names on those lists anywhere else. Perhaps over time, some of those names will stand out. I suspect, however, that none of them will ever stand out like the name of the great people of faith that we read about in Scripture, for those names are unforgettable, especially to people of faith. Some of these great men and women of faith include Noah, Abraham, Moses, Deborah, Elizabeth, Mary, Peter, Paul, and the other apostles of the Lord. It's a veritable list of the "Who's Who of the Bible." And there are many more just as prominent names.

Throughout the history of the Church and the history of the world we find additional names that could make up a "Who's Who of Christianity" and a "Who's Who of History." In the centuries following the events of the New Testament there have been other great men and women of faith which have stood out from the rest of the world. Names such as Charlemagne, St. Augustine, Martin Luther, John Hus, Joan of Arc, Francis of Assisi, and hundreds of others come to mind as we see God's hand working in the world since Jesus' resurrection and ascension into heaven. Future history will expose a "Who's Who of Faith" that will contain the names of our contemporaries whose lives of faithfulness to God's Word and Will will have had significant impact upon the world.

Into this mix of "Who's Whos" comes the account in Matthew of the Centurion of Capernaum. This man was a foreigner - a mercenary - a Gentile - a non-Jew. Interestingly enough, a couple of days ago he was part of a conversation I had with someone who asked me about the "nature of a soldier." The Centurion of Capernaum was the epitome of a soldier. He was a man of peace, as soldiers are supposed to be at heart, and he took his purpose to maintain peace very seriously. He understood the people he had the responsibility to "pacify" and maintained good order among them. He went so far as to truly understand and appreciate Jewish law, so much so that he sought to prevent Jesus from entering his house to heal his servant, knowing Jesus would become "unclean" by such an action. Yet, what's most remarkable about this Centurion is that he understood the authority Jesus had. He believed that authority extended to healing the sick and, thus, his servant. Even greater is the Centurion's faith and confidence that Jesus only had to say the world and his servant would be healed. While this Roman centurion only is known to us through the Gospel, and we don't even know his name, we do know something that puts him in the "Who's Who of Faith" - he trusted Jesus. He knew Jesus and believed in Him. He love the Lord and showed that love by loving his fellow human beings, showing courtesy to Jesus, and praying for the healing of his servant.

Jesus commended the Centurion's faith. He even declared it to be the greatest He had encountered in all of Israel. Jesus' response to the Centurion didn't just take on the nature of praise and acknowledgment. His response also was very practical and loving. In response to the Centurion's faith Jesus healed his servant. His words to the Centurion further strengthened His bond with the man, "Go your way; as you have believed, so let it be done for you" (Mt. 8:13). In the same way as we hold to the faith of the great men and women of the Scriptures, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Deborah, Ruth, David and the rest, we also hold to the Centurion's faith and seek to follow his example as well. We also seek to trust the Lord to be in charge of all of life. We also seek to come before Him with confident prayer, believing that He will hear us and answer "as you have believed."

Prayer: Father, strengthen my faith that I may be like the Centurion and fully trust You to care for me and my needs, my family and their needs, and all the needs of Your people. Help me to exercise my faith in Jesus by trusting in Him in all things and seeking His compassion, mercy, love and power in the lives of others. Keep me ever mindful that how I live and speak is a reflection of my relationship with You and that it sets an example for others, both those who believe and those who still need to know Your love and forgiveness for them in Jesus Christ. Hear my prayer, gracious Father, for the sake of Jesus. Amen.
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--Pastor Boeck

Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.