Take Him at His Word – Dr. Hona Amer

Scripture:

“Meanwhile in Capernaum, there was a certain official from the king’s court whose son was sick. When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and asked that he come down and heal his son, who was on the brink of death. Jesus put him off: ‘Unless you people are dazzled by a miracle, you refuse to believe.’ But the court official wouldn’t be put off. ‘Come down! It’s life or death for my son.’ Jesus simply replied, ‘Go home. Your son lives.’ The man believed the bare word Jesus spoke and headed home. On his way back, his servants intercepted him and announced, ‘Your son lives’!” John 4:46b-51 (MSG)

Perspective:

Is there value in your words? If you say you will do something, do you follow through? We all want to be people of our word, but sometimes it is difficult to follow through every time. We might volunteer to help someone, but life gets busy, and we put it on the shelf until later. Many times we have been the recipient of someone who didn’t come through on their word. It can leave us doubting and struggling to believe in the value of a promise or commitment.

One of the king’s officials had heard about Jesus. He knew of the miracles, teachings, and followers of Jesus. And in the moment he needed an answer, he found a way to Jesus. As a father distressed over his son’s condition, the official had faith in his heart that Jesus could heal him. When Jesus told the people that without a miracle they wouldn’t believe, the official did not give up. He knew that Jesus was the answer. When Jesus said that his son was healed, the official took Jesus at His Word. How could he walk away from Jesus with confidence that his son was healed? The official believed that what Jesus said would happen. In our Christian journey, it can be a struggle to take Jesus at His Word. The Bible says that Jesus is our healer, protector, and provider. But, many times we want to see the end result before we believe it. We want to see Jesus provide before we believe that He actually will do it. But, when we take Jesus at His Word, we can live with peace and confidence that He is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do.