Have you ever thought about how God went before you to draw you to faith? Maybe it was a parent, a grandparent, a teacher, friend, stranger, a Gospel tract, or a Bible in a hotel room that introduced you to Jesus. How God went before you is unique to your spiritual journey. Paul tells us in Romans 10:15, “And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” [1] We can be very thankful that the Lord is always working like a Good Shepherd going before His sheep.
The Lord had gone before the Roman Officer who knew about Jesus. Matthew 8:5 When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him, 6 “Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.” [2] The Roman officer knew about Jesus and also that He was capable of healing his servant. Without the Lord going before the Roman officer, he would not have heard about Jesus, placed his faith in Him, or sought Him out to heal his servant.
The Lord had a plan for the life of the Roman officer and his servant. It would be in God’s perfect timing that the Centurion would encounter Jesus. The healing encounter with Jesus strengthened the faith of the Roman Officer as well as demonstrated God’s power to his servant. It would give hope to both as they moved forward in faith.
The Bible does not tell us what happened to the Centurion or the servant after this encounter. We are left to wonder, how did their lives change? Did the servant embrace Jesus as his Savior? What people did the Roman Officer share his testimony with and how did that impact them? Did many people come to faith in Jesus as they heard the Roman Officer tell this story? We don’t know, but God does.
Think about the millions of people that have read this story in the Bible and the impact it has had. This would not have been possible if God had not gone before the Roman Officer. Where has the Lord gone ahead of you in the last month? How has that made a difference in your life? How does that give you hope in difficult times? It says in Deut. 31:8, “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” [3]
To hear more about the healing of the Centurion’s servant, listen here: https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/hope-for-healing
[1-3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.