God Is God – Sunday Thought For The Day

In the Gospel of John, following the death of her brother Lazarus, we read: “Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.” (John 11:21 KJV)

Martha went on to say: “But I know that even now, whatever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.” John 11:22 KJV) The account ends with Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.

One thing that I believe goes unnoticed to a certain extent is that Martha’s faith was limited by time, distance and space. She knew and believed that Jesus needed only to “ask of God” and He would have answered. In short, she had compartmentalized the authority/power of Christ to heal with a construct that was understandable to her.

In Gospel of Matthew we read, that Jesus said unto the centurion who came to Him seeking healing for his servant: “I will come and heal him.” But: “The centurion answered and said, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof; but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.” (MAtthew 8:8 KJV)

The centurion understood the meaning of authority, as a comparison to the authority that he had over the men subordinate to him. I submit that because he understood the power of authority his faith was not bound nor limited by time, distance, space or circumstances.

Now, of course it goes without saying that there is much more we have heard preached and taught about these two instances of healing by Jesus. But I believe the critical question that cannot go unaddressed is: what kind of constraints do we place upon our prayers?

When we pray, do we pray with the limitless belief, i.e., faith, that there is nothing Jesus cannot do – no matter the illness, need, circumstances or desire? God is God, and God is not limited. However, our faith is limited by the constraints, i.e., the limits, we place upon God because we fail to realize that God is God; and God is not limited.

READ: Matthew 8:5-13 (KJV)
5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,

6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.

7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.

8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.

9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.

12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.