Traditionally, Matthew 8:5-10 has been taught from the perspective of blind faith. We have the centurion of the Roman infantry approaching Jesus with an issue concerning his slave; and being confident that Jesus, as Lord, could heal him just at His speaking. This is indeed was a brave move; as we know that a man in Caesar Augustus' military (or territory) acknowledging a Jew as royalty is treason and punishable by death. Then for this man to confirm Jesus' power before he actually saw it for himself is also impressive. However, I tend to believe that this military man had additional points of verification that lead him to ask Jesus to perform such a task. Of course with no Bible, mega-church, or televangelist to preach the Christ, for a heathen Roman to recognize Jesus' unchallenged authority and healing ability says a lot about his study of and connection with the Lord God. Yet when reading verse 9, we get to not only picture the centurions' faith, but we also see his rationale. In layman's terms he tells the Savior, "I'm also a boss; and I know when bosses speak, things move."
Blessed is the person who can stand in front of a mountain he's never seen before and tell it to step aside. Although this should be most of us, that dude is rare. Usually, we need a little visual encouragement regarding the possibilities of our deliverance. The great news is God understands that, and He always has. In His infinite wisdom He has generally prepared the faith for men and women of destiny. In this ideal though, the winning factor is the persons perception of what the preparation is. Consider a teenage David who had the heart to fight an experienced giant (1 Samuel 17). That boy didn't go out there blind, he recalled on his experience defending his fathers' livestock against several different types of wild animals, viewed that as training for war, and most importantly, he credited God with the deliverance from wilderness beasts...which in David's mind qualified God to deliver him from trained killers (verses 35-37). Or a once timid Peter, hanging onto Jesus' every word to being the preacher to ignite the spreading of the Gospel (Matthew 16:15-18). Peter didn't lose his fear,out of nowhere, he recalled both his frightening and triumphant times walking with Christ; and that assured him he could further the mission. See, when it comes to faith, a lot of times we've been given a sneak preview of why we can be faithful.
That faith your mother displayed when she raised you and your siblings by herself, don't you remember that the Lord made it possible? Or when you were a reckless high school student; only knowing that you were going to graduate no matter what. You think that determination was just for high school? Not at all! You can package that drive, that will, and that fight and use it to win jobs, contracts, lead families, change communities, and change lives...including your own. More than likely, you've witnessed things that clearly have shown you believing is more than possible, but it's your decision to recall on those things to encourage your future. And if God delivered then, the only thing that's stopping Him from delivering now is your own perception. Because you've already experienced outnumbered odds and been victorious regardless. And yes, the scale may have been [relatively] small compared to what's facing you now. But my friend, be confident...because you've done this before...and done it well.
Peace
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