Most of you reading this post have heard of Jesus, but we need to keep hearing. It should be daily, hearing about who Jesus is, what He has done, and what He has called you to. We need to ask from Him and believe what we ask for. Today’s reading reminded me of the simplicity of our faith.
So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you [people] see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.” The nobleman said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies!” Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.” So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told [him], saying, “Your son lives!” Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” So the father knew that [it was] at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” And he himself believed, and his whole household. This again [is] the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.
John 4:46-54
Hear
I want to note three takeaways that the Lord gave me this morning from this passage. First upon hearing of Jesus’ return the nobleman went to Jesus. He could not have gone to Jesus, unless he first heard of Him. Romans 10:14 states, “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” We are called to share with others about Jesus so that they can hear. Also, we need to be in the word for ourselves hearing over and over about who Jesus is and what He has already accomplished for us.
Ask
The next thing that happened in this passage is that the man asked Jesus to come down and heal his son. When we hear about Jesus and who He is we should come boldly to him and ask for what we need. In this case the man asked for healing for his son. Jesus shared with His disciples, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. (Matt 7:7) When we ask and seek out Jesus as this man did; we will find Him and what we ask, will be given to us. I’m not sure about you but this is the good news of the gospel that if and when we ask it will be given. However this will lead me to the last point
Believe
This leads me to the last point. When Jesus told him to “Go your way; your son lives,” note the father’s response. It says the man believed the word. We are called to believe! “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive [them], and you will have [them]. (Mark 11:24) Many people have not for they ask not or they ask for things that are only to be used for their own pleasures. (James 4:2-3) Others may be asking but they doubt in their heart and do not ask in faith. James writes, “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; [he is] a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:6-8)
In this passage this father heard of Jesus and came boldly to Him seeking answers and help. He asked Jesus to heal his son and when Jesus gave him the word that his son would live, he believed. We too can hear of Jesus today. We are called to ask of Him and when we believe in our hearts without doubting it will be given. If you have not received from God what you have asked; I would encourage you today to check your heart. Often we have doubt that needs to be dealt with. I pray that faith will rise up today and you will believe for the things you have asked for. We are called believers, but first we must believe!