To Walk Believing.

From John 4 -Jesus said to [the nobleman who had come from Capernaum to ask Him to heal his son], “I suppose you will never believe unless you see signs and wonders!”

“Sir,” returned the official, “please come down before my boy dies!”

“You can go home,” returned Jesus, “your son is alive and well.” And the man believed what Jesus had said to him and went on his way.

On the journey back his servants met him with the report, “Your son is alive and well.” So he asked them at what time he had begun to recover, and they replied: “The fever left him yesterday at one o’clock in the afternoon”. Then the father knew that this must have happened at the very moment when Jesus had said to him, “Your son is alive and well.” And he and his whole household believed in Jesus. This, then, was the second sign that Jesus gave on his return from Judea to Galilee.

And what a sign it was! The first one, the water being turned into wine - also at Cana - had had the effect of His disciples seeing it, recognizing His power and believing. This second sign at Cana - and, by miraculous extension, at Capernaum - had allowed the official to believe first, after recognizing Jesus' power, and then to see. And now his whole household has been given the gift of of belief in this Jesus too!

I want to pause here on the premise of Belief that is given in this account. I have been in Bible studies before, discussions about situations like this one, where people have actually said, "Well, but what if he'd arrived back and the servants had said his son was dead? What then?" WHAT A FOOLISH QUESTION. First off, if Jesus said it, then there was no other outcome possible than the one we see here; no other potentiality exists outside of His stated words.

Secondly, why do we ever approach these moments with doubt, unbelief or negative modern hindsight? When we dance around with these theoretical questions, it seems to me that we've already lost sight of the truth of what we have in Jesus. 

Why do you pray? Do you pray only for results, for real-time "answers" and actions that will themselves prove the veracity of God? Or do you pray to align yourself with the glorious veracity that is God, so that you might, by believing and receiving more of Him, already possess the greatest answer to prayer possible? You see, to receive more of Him in prayer is far greater than any earthly answer. 

I would say that this father's 7-hour walk from Cana to Capernaum while believing in Jesus had as much, if not more, value than arriving to find his son still alive. My friends, everyone one day dies. But belief that lasts into eternity does not.

Today, will you and I walk, talk, live, love, and do all things in and through the power of trusting Jesus for our everything?