Amazing Faith

Luke 7

Wednesday, December 14, 2022

There are few instances recorded in the Bible that describe Jesus being amazed, but one of them is found in Luke 7. When Jesus came into Capernaum, word spread, and when a Roman centurion heard that the Messiah was in town, he didn’t hesitate to send help for his sick servant. Those who were sent attempted to persuade Jesus to come by attesting to the centurion’s worthiness, confirming that he loves their nation, and even built the synagogue. But that’s not why Jesus went with them. He went with them because he was astounded by the man’s faith; faith even greater than he had witnessed in his own people. He was astounded by the amount of compassion and love in the man’s heart. On his way to the centurion’s home, he received another message, this time the centurion was declaring his unworthiness to be within Christ’s vicinity, asking only for a simple word of healing. In doing so, he further displayed immense humility as well as abounding faith.

This soldier showed more awareness of Christ’s purpose and authority on earth than even the Jews. His level of faith is what we should strive for as followers of Christ, a humble and simple faith that doesn’t waver, a faith that even the Messiah can’t help but be impressed by. A faith that acknowledges Christ’s sovereignty in every situation, whether or not a request is fulfilled. Knowing in every scenario that we serve a God who is fully capable of supernatural, miraculous phenomenons, but that He is also good no matter how He answers our prayers and requests. Let us pray today that God instills within us a faith as deep and true as the faith modeled by the centurion over 2,000 years ago, and thank Him that we have so many examples of immense faith to reflect on and live by recorded in His Word.

-Isabella Osborn

Reflection Questions:

1. Where do you find yourself sometimes initially looking for worthiness in the world?
2. How do we know that God sees us as worthy, despite how much distance there is between us and Him?
3. In what ways does the story of Jesus healing the Centurion’s servant apply to your own life?
4. How can you make it your first instinct to turn to God when facing difficult circumstances?