5 When Jesus arrived in Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him, 6 "Lord, my young serve lies in bed, paralyzed and racked with pain." 7 Jesus said, "I will come and meal him" 8 Then the officer said, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come to my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed! 9 I know, because I am under the authority of my superior officers and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, 'Go,' and they go, or 'Come,' and they come. And if I say to my slaves, 'Do this or that,' they do it." 10 When Jesus heard this He was amazed. Turning to the crowd, He said, "I tell you the truth, I haven't seen faith like this in all the land of Israel!! 13 Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, "Go on home. What you have believed has happened." And the young servant was healed that same hour.
Ever say to yourself, "I can't help, I am so far away?" It seems we have a belief we have to be present in order to be of assistance or help to someone in need. A centurion approached Jesus with a need and a request. A centurion was a soldier with one hundred soldiers serving at his command. One of the servants of the centurion was critically ill and the officer asked him. The response from the centurion was "NO! I am not worthy for you to come to my home."
Distance made no difference. In faith the centurion spoke, "Say the word and my servant will be healed." You may not be near the need or the burden you have, but the power of Christ can reach beyond the miles and your own ability to be physically near and care for your burden. The centurion saw that Jesus was a man of authority as he himself was. "Just speak the word and my servant will be haled," showed his understanding of the power of Jesus even across distances.
Jesus responded by healing the servant and declaring that the centurion's faith was great. What do you believe God for right now that requires God to meet your need at a distance away from your present locale? Distance means nothing to God. Pray and expect God to answer. Remember you don't have to be present to call upon the ever-present God that you worship. He reaches beyond miles.
__________________Today's personal note from Dennis
Greetings from Starbucks in Tempe, AZ
Sandy and I returned late on Monday night from our MO trip. It was a wonderful time.
We were able to attend the wedding of our niece, Meredith in Kansas City.
It was a beautiful wedding. The best part was NO WEDDING CAKE: instead, WEDDING PIE. What a great idea. The blackberry was especially delicious.
We also saw several of Sandy's relatives in the Kansas City area. The relatives call her Sandra. Still not used to that! You can tell from the photos of Sandy and her brother and the bride and Roger that we had a great time.
Saturday we ventured to Eldon to see my Dad, brother and niece. My Aunt Ruby gave us a room to lay our heads on a bed a few hours. It was good to see them.
Sunday night I had the privilege of preaching at the First Baptist Church of Eldon. We took my Dad from the nursing home to church with us. Although I am not sure he heard much he seemed to enjoy being there and seeing all the folks at church. I enjoyed seeing many people at church that I had not seen in years. Most had known me all of my life. That means they were not young folks.
Sandy is teaching Ladies Bible Study at First Baptist Church in Tempe on Tuesday mornings. She is enjoying teaching.
I will be preaching at Northpointe Baptist Church in Chandler, AZ on October 23. Sandy and I return to Ohio to lead our annual retreat with Bob and Pat Moser and crew.
I am grateful for you and your prayers, support and encouragement. October is the month for CT scans, X-rays and Labs. Pray for them to show no growth in the tumors. Currently they are stable. It is so wonderful to feel good, be able to spend time with family and friends, and be involved in ministry that I pray it will continue.
Send me an update of you and your family. I try to answer all replies. I also pray for you so let me know your prayer needs. Remember miles mean nothing to God.
~ DGW
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