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CONSECRATION
Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
Jesus, I belong to you.
I lift up my heart to you.
I set my mind on you.
I fix my eyes on you.
I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice.
Jesus, we belong to you.
Praying in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.
THE WORD OF THE LORD
Matthew 8:5–10, 13 NIV
When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”
Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”
The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just 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 and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.” . . .
Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.
CONSIDER THIS . . .
I had hit a physical rock bottom with a heart arrhythmia issue that was out of control—and a series of other problems that had me flat on my back in a hospital bed. No one was allowed to visit me, as it was during the pandemic of 2020. Then, I saw my friend was calling me. I picked up, and before I could say anything, he spoke.
“Dan, there is no distance in the kingdom of God. In the name of Jesus, be healed.”
That was it. That was the sum total of the prayer of command he prayed. I wasn’t instantly healed, but over time I sure was. My friend was eager to pray for my healing and believed he didn’t need to be in the room with me because Jesus was there already. And as he discerned what the Father was doing with me, he prayed with authority and confidence.
In Matthew 8:7, I like to think of Jesus saying, “Shall I come and heal him?” as a close equivalent to “May I come and pray for him?”
I believe that the fear of failure keeps us from praying for all those we should: What if nothing happens? What if I’m embarrassed, or they say they don’t want prayer?
Here is the question back: What if those things do happen? Does anything change? God is still God, you are still loved and beautiful in his sight, and you are a human being. You may have to explain that God doesn’t always heal instantaneously, but then again, sometimes he does—and it is worth the risk!
Better yet, what if you take the risk to pray and something does happen? Lives everywhere, including your own, are changed for eternity! That is worth the risk of faith.
The specific way that Jesus asks the question sets us up for the punch line. It takes faith to believe that Jesus can do anything he wants any way he wants, even long-distance. Is there an opportunity before you to call someone and to ask, “May I pray for you?” It’s a simple gesture of faith that can go a long way in someone’s life with God.
The centurion became famous for his faith. You and I can also be known for our humble confidence that God will answer us when we pray, no matter the distance.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, it takes faith to pray for healing, and especially to pray for healing over the phone or in a video call. Give me the confidence to ask, “May I pray for you?” no matter the distance. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.
JOURNAL PROMPTS
Write down your favorite memory of someone praying for you. How did they approach you? Were they in the room, or did they pray from a distance?
ACTIVATION
Today, call a friend who has a need and ask, “May I pray for you?” If they say yes, imagine that you are in the room with them, laying your hands on their shoulder. Then wait on God, discern your prayer with the Spirit, and pray.
SING
Today, we will sing “The Doxology” (hymn 682) from our Seedbed hymnal, Our Great Redeemer’s Praise.
For the Awakening,
Dan Wilt
Dan Wilt is an author, communicator, pastor, and practitioner. With roots in the Vineyard stream of churches, Dan has served the development of followers of Jesus internationally and is part of the Seedbed Farm Team.
One Response
Holy Spirit Story – Bless Her
My wife and I went out for an early supper this past Saturday. As Georgia our waitperson arrived at the table, I sensed God saying, “Bless her”. During each of our encounters with Georgia our conversation led to us to getting to know more about her. And God kept saying bless her. We learned she was born in and grew up in Georgia. Her father, from Mexico liked the way Georgia sounded so he was giving her a beautiful name. He comes and goes from Mexico to Georgia, so she sees him regularly while living with her mother here in Georgia. “Bless her.” She hasn’t seen her grandmother in years and was saving as much as she could to fly to Mexico to visit. When asked how can we pray for you, she quickly responded that I’m able to go see my grandmother soon. ” Bless her.” Time came for us to pay our bill. “Bless Her.” I had two $100 dollar bills in my wallet, left over from family vacation. I paid the bill with a credit card but left no tip. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Georgia’s shoulders droop. But then I took out one of the $100 bills and gave it to her. She began to weep but also say no, no, no that’s too much! We insisted that we were called to “Bless Her” by God. She was thankful, with tears in her eyes she gave us hugs and asked God to bless us.