Life Spark: Small faith can become strong faith. John 4:43-54
Jesus left Judea and went to Galilee. His miracles were a hot topic of conversation there. A government official from Capernaum, whose son was deathly ill, begged Jesus to come and perform a healing miracle.
”Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.” (John 4:48, NIV) Undeterred, refusing to be offended, the government official asked Jesus to please come quickly. Jesus replied, “You may go. Your son will live.” The man took Jesus at his word and departed. (John 4:50, NIV) The official believed what Jesus said and headed home.
On his way home, he met some of his servants who confirmed that his son was alive and well. Curious, he asked when his boy began to get better. Sure enough, it was one in the afternoon, at the very moment Jesus had said, “Go on home, your son will live.”
When I was a young man fresh out of college, Linda and I moved to John Day, Oregon. We had some friends who were driving to John Day from the Willamette Valley. On the night they were headed our way, we were at a prayer meeting with a dozen high school kids, when suddenly I heard an inner voice say, “Pray right now for Tony and Karen.” Shocked, I looked up at the wall clock. 7:00 pm. When Tony and Karen arrived late that night, I asked, “Did something happen to you at seven?” “Amazing you’d ask,” they said, “We dodged to miss a deer in the road, slid on the snow and almost went off a steep cliff right at seven.” Tony and Karen were new Christians. That incident boosted their faith. Mine too!
I know what that government official felt like when his small faith became stronger faith and then grew even more to become saving faith. “… the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, ‘Your son will live.’ So he and all his household believed.” (John 4:53, NIV) Little faith became living faith.
This story encourages me to exercise what little faith I have. I wish I had more faith. I wish I had stronger faith.I can certainly identify with a different dad in the Bible who asked Jesus to heal his ailing son. Jesus asked him if he believed He could heal the boy. The dad answered honestly: “I believe. Please help my unbelief.” I say that same thing to the Lord from time to time. How about you?
Life-question: What is it that you might ask God for, except you feel your faith is too small? Ask anyway. Asking persistently may lead to believing progressively.