Last Wednesday I suddenly had a severe allergic reaction. My throat closed up and I could barely talk. My tongue acted as though it had a mountain to climb each time it tried to move. I’ve never experienced anything like it. If my kids hadn’t been sick and my husband had been home, I would have probably made a trip to the ER. As I prayed for wisdom and tried various home remedies, God helped me breath better and gave me peace about not going to the ER. My mom came over and gave me something that helped the swelling. I was eventually able to safely go to sleep. It was scary and took several days before I was almost back to normal (hence why there wasn’t a Thursday devotional last week).
God was
aware of everything going on and knew the best solution. I wasn’t sure what to
do, but knew I could rely on Him. His answers didn’t come in the time and way I
expected, but eventually brought peace and comfort.
The
same happened for a royal official, in his time of crisis.
John 4:46-53 46Once more
he [Jesus] visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into
wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum.
47When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from
Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to
death. 48"Unless you people see miraculous signs and
wonders," Jesus told him, "you will never believe." 49The
royal official said, "Sir, come down before my child dies." 50Jesus
replied, "You may go. Your son will live." The man took Jesus at
his word and departed. 51While he was still on the way,
his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. 52When
he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, "The
fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour." 53Then
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.
This royal official came 20
miles to find Jesus! He didn’t have a car to drive to get him there in 30
minutes, either. Jesus responded to the royal official’s request, but not in
the way the man requested. Jesus healed the boy His way, in His time, which
brought greater glory! Jesus told the man to go home and trust that He had
healed him. The royal official went home in faith. His son was healed the
moment Jesus said the words, and then the man’s whole household believed!
Like the royal official, we
can tell God what we want Him to do, how we want Him to do it, and when. However,
God often works much different than we expect, and with a greater purpose in
mind! Jesus physically healed the boy, but more importantly Jesus spiritually
healed the boy, his father and their entire household!!!
Let’s look to Jesus for His
greater spiritual purposes as He responds to our temporal needs!
