Such Great Faith

"I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in all of Israel." Luke7:9

The centurion knew what authority was and how it worked. The troops he had authority over did his bidding, and he didn't worry a minute that what he said would be done. People knew the rules, the culture and the expectations. And so,understanding Jesus' authority, he could ask freely and knew that Jesus had the capacity. In our day and time, very few people trust others with their authority, let alone do they trust their own authority. We often prize most highly those who distrust authority and try to bring it down. And yet, we listen and follow some authorities, especially if they promise to make us thinner, younger, or more attractive. We have handed over so much to the least authoritative at times.

Today is a day of testing for me. I pray and ask God that there is nothing serious with my back, nothing that cannot be cured with exercise and physical therapy. And today, I want to have the faith of the centurion, who, despite his differences in culture, langauage, religion and training with Christ, knew Jesus as a true authority and trusted him for healing. May we all today live like the centurion. There may be lots of people to distrust, and we should be wise about them. May we all today have the courage to trust the ultimate authority, the loving Creator, the wise counselor with all the healing we need, in body and in soul.For Jesus humbly brought God's love to all who ask. May we have the courage to embrace that love today and the strength to trust God for all our needs.