Very often we hear this teaching on healing: You must speak the Word and you will be healed! The miracle is in your mouth!
My response: Really? Where do you see that in the Bible?
The Roman Centurion said these words to Jesus: “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof but only say the word and my servant will be healed!” (Matt. 8:8).
Two things we learn on the topic of healing from Jesus’ interaction with this Roman Centurion.
First concerns ATTITUDE. The Jewish Leaders felt that the sick and about to die servant of this Roman Centurion “deserved” to be healed, because of “he built the synagogue” of the Jews (Luke 7:4-5).
But the Roman Centurion did not feel that he or his servant or anyone “DESERVED TO BE HEALED”! If at all healing took place, it had to be by God’s Grace and by God’s Sovereign Choice. That’s why his words go this way: “Lord, I am not worthy (even though I have built the synagogue) to have you come under my roof….(and proceed to heal my sick servant)” (Luke 7:7).
What about you and me? Do we act and strut as if we DESERVE to get healed or GOD BETTER HEALS US? Don’t make that mistake. Learn from the Roman Centurion.
Now, to the second lesson on healing from the Roman Centurion. The first lesson concerned the ATTITUDE. The second lesson concerned the ARTICULATION. He said to Jesus, “….but only say the Word and my servant will be healed”! (Matt. 8:8; Luke 7:7). What was he saying here?This: if Jesus chose to heal his nearly-dead servant, he would say the Word and that Word was enough for his servant to get healed. He was implying the “ball” was in Jesus’ court. He was conceding that Jesus had to choose if he wanted to heal the servant here and now or not. If Jesus chose to do so, and spoke the Word, the healing would happen instantly!
How starkly different this is from the ‘name it and claim it’ teaching we hear from certain healing evangelists/pastors/so called miracle-workers! They tell us: “You command Jesus to heal you and he will obey you for it is always his will to heal you here and now!” This is plain rubblish! We will know that this is so when we have read this story from the Bible!
It was Jesus’ will to heal and therefore he spoke the Word and the Centurion’s servant got instanlty healed (Luke 7:10). The bottom line was this: the Roman Centurion had faith in the goodness of Jesus which he expressed with these wonderful words: “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof but only say the word and my servant will be healed” (Luke 8:8,9). This kind of faith which respects and bows before the will of God when it comes to healing or miracles is what ‘wows’ Jesus for he said, “I have not found such great faith even in Israel” (Luke 8:9).
Looking for a healing? For a miracle? Just pray like this humble, God’s Will-seeking Roman Centurion. Say, “Lord, I or the loved one whom I am praying for, do not deserve this healing/miracle. But only say the Word, Lord. If you will, please speak, Lord. And my loved one/myself will be healed/Will receive that miracle!”
(Duke Jeyaraj is the founder of Grabbing the Google Generation from Gehenna Mission, the G4 Mission. This is a listener supported Indian ministry to presentday people. Find out more by visitingwww.dukev.org or by likingwww.facebook.com/dukebook or by followingwww.dukewords.wordpress.com)
