Daily Devotions

During the Lenten season, members of Faith Lutheran Church have written our daily devotions.  Today’s writer is Joann Welton.

After Jesus had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. ²A centurion there had a slave whom he valued highly, and who was ill and close to death. ³When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, asking him to come and heal his slave. ⁴When they came to Jesus, they appealed to him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy of having you do this for him, ⁵for he loves our people, and it is he who built our synagogue for us.” ⁶And Jesus went with them, but when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to say to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; ⁷therefore I did not presume to come to you. But only speak the word, and let my servant be healed. ⁸For I also am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and the slave does it.” ⁹When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, he said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” ¹⁰When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health. Luke 7:1-10

Serious illness is truly the universal leveler – it doesn’t care if you are rich or poor, young or old, a centurion or a servant?  So, what do we do, when someone we care about is ill or in danger?  Do we feel abandoned and alone? Do we only pray for God’s healing presence, if our friend or loved one, is a Christian?  In the miracle at Capernaum, Jesus reminds us that God’s love and healing presence is universal and knows no political or ideological boundaries.  Jesus answered the compassionate pleas of the centurion to heal his ill servant, not because he was a recognized disciple, but because of the centurions unbending faith that Jesus, and Jesus alone, had the power and authority to heal the sick. 

Every week, people arrive in Houston hoping for a medical miracle.  Like the centurion, do we truly believe in the healing power of Jesus?  Faith House, our blood drives, and the prayer chain, are but a few of the ways that we show those in need that they are not alone.  Show your love for Jesus, by praying, sending a card, or volunteering to help those struggling with illness or addiction in your community.

Let us pray:  Heavenly Father, bless the medical professionals and caregivers who each day make a difference in someone’s life.  Continue to watch over them and give them the strength, wisdom, and compassion to heal the sick.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

This entry was posted on April 10, 2014 at 3:52 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.