23 March 2020 - at that very hour

Today's Readings

(Audio)

“Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.”

Jesus knows our need. He wants us to believe. He does not begrudge us the signs and wonders that will actually help us. He only holds back when we ask insincerely, pushing off our responsibility to respond further and further down the road. This man did come sincerely and he received what he asks.

Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.”
The man believed what Jesus said to him and left.

Even with this man, the pressing matter of his dying son gave rise to faith. The miracle he wanted was the occasion of a still greater miracle. For this man's son would live only to die again. But this man's soul was now saved by faith for immortality. It is a faith and a gift his whole family would share.

“Your son will live,”
and he and his whole household came to believe.

We don't really even want signs so much as we want to insist on certain favors from the LORD. And so we don't receive because we are so ready to insist on our priorities under the guise of seeking deeper faith. It is OK, on the one hand, to bring the longings of our heart to Jesus. It is OK to seek what we need to believe. We need to avoid holding our requests over and against Jesus. We need to place our requests and our need for faith in his hand.

We have asked wrongly so often for both healing and for faith that we are used to disappointment. But the LORD is guiding us to ask rightly, from our need, in faith, surrendering our requests to the will of him who loves us more than we can ask our imagine. He wants us the raise our hope in him and what he is planning to do, not to lower it. We have wanted to little before. We need him to expand our desires and to increase our hope.

Lo, I am about to create new heavens
and a new earth;
The things of the past shall not be remembered
or come to mind.

LORD, we bring our needs to you. We need healing and we need faith. Help us to not set the terms for these requests. Help our hope to grow so that we can have confidence in your saving help.