Matthew 8:5-13 "When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 'Lord,' he said, 'my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.'
Jesus said to him, 'I will go and heal him.'
The centurion replied, 'Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it.'
When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and siad to those following him, ' I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Isreal with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Issac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darknes, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
Then Jesus said to the centurion, 'Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.' And his servant was healed at that very hour."
I chose this passage today because my faith has been rattled a bit lately. The centurion's servant was healed because of the tremendos faith of the centurion. We must believe God can and will do what we pray for - though we must be careful not to view God as some sort of genie there at our beckon call. The centurion's pray / request was answered because of his faith - to have such faith you have to have your heart right with God too. I am presently trying to work through issues in my life and my past that have skewed my relationship with God. I believe that we need to check our hearts before we pray - repent and confess.
There is a guide to prayer - AWCIPA (Admire - Wait - Confession - Intercession - Petition - Admire). Begin and end your prayer time thanking and praising God. Take the time to wait, clear your mind and be still - let God talk to you. Next we confess our sins, the more specific the better, no excuses - own it. Intercession is praying for someone else - petition God on their behalf. Petition is for you. Finally Admire and thank God for all the wonderous things He has done.
Comments