Hoping It is True
Trusting without knowing the outcome…
'Once more he 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. When 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.
“Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.”
The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”
“Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.”
The man took Jesus at his word and departed. While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.”
Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and his whole household believed. ' John 4:46-53
trust and faith are inseparable, they are intertwined, cannot have one without the other.
dictionary.com: trust - reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confident expectation of something; hope
merriam-webster: faith - firm belief in something for which there is no proof; something that is believed especially with strong conviction
the challenge with this verse and those similar to it is the actual trust factor. i feel many people want to accept something to be true only if the outcome is what they desired, but the majority of them want proof or a preview before they fully commit. unfortunately that is not what faith is, or at least defined in a Christian perspective - not seeing is believing.
in this story we have a father, who loves his ailing son so much, that he traveled to find Jesus. it was likely that he heard about the miracles that our Lord performed and was desperate for his boy to be healed that he didn’t think twice about going. all he knew was his kid was dying and if there was a chance this person could cure his son, he was going to do whatever it takes to get him to come to his home and help his family.
once he meets Jesus, our Lord simply tells him that his son will live - no sacrifice, no special song and dance, offering, etc., the man simply took Him for His Word and left. while heading back home he discovers that the very moment our Lord spoke those words, the man’s son was fully healed.
at that, he and his family knew His Words to be true and believed in Christ. first part was trust in what our Lord said; then faith that it was as He said and left; finally the proof was there and how can you deny it after that.
1 Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. 2 Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation. 3 By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen. 6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
this still is a hard one when you may have been programmed as a child that it isn’t true unless you can see, feel, taste, hear, and confirm. without evidence it is only hearsay or a fairytale.
i’ve seen what God has done in my life and of my family’s and i can’t go backwards in my walk as i’m 100% convinced that our Heavenly Father exists, our Lord and Savior Jesus exists, that the power of the Holy Spirit that resides in me is real too.
do i still have questions, yes; am i challenged in my walk from time to time, yes. the difference is that i no longer need something tangible to grasp in order for me to believe.
Father God, thank you that through your Son Jesus we can trust, believe, and know that you control the outcome. teach us to be and stay committed in our walk, that our faith will not wane, that we can stand firm on your promises and word. in Jesus’ name i pray, amen!