Devotional April 17 2020How do we address fear with faith? …In humility, we accept that God is in control.
To me, there is nothing more humbling than being stuck…. being literally kept from continuing what I would regularly be doing. I believe that with the stay at home order we can all relate to this. Some time ago, I actually was stuck in an elevator that stopped working. I thought I could possibly get out if I went through the little door in the ceiling. After staring at the escape hatch considering all that was involved with getting out, I thought instead I would get help from the elevator call button. There would have been a sense of accomplishment had I got out on my own, but I chose to wait to be helped.
So what do we do when we are stuck in a situation that we can’t get out of? Some of us may be upset; the tendency for others might be to get angry. Still others might resign themselves and consider the situation as hopeless. Others might become more resolute and refuse to give in.
When we are stuck and incapable of getting out, I want to suggest another solution for us that we observe in Luke’s Gospel.
When Jesus had finished saying all this in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” So Jesus went with them.
He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well. (Luke 7:1-10)
The centurion was a self-sufficient person with authority, and he was an individual with resources at his disposal. However, he was powerless to help his highly valued servant. We see, however, that he put his faith in Jesus to help him do what he could not. Therefore, because of his humility and faith in Jesus, he was able to see his servant healed.
Humility is difficult. It communicates that I cannot do anything to help myself in the situation. As Christians, this is the message of the Gospel. Jesus can free us from the penalty of sin and only He has the power to save us. As we struggle with the loss of control and the sense of being stuck in this time, are we turning to the One with the power to help us? Are we trusting in Jesus today? As we humbly turn to Him, He will give us peace. He is not surprised by this situation and He is in complete control. Let us trust in that.