The Long Road
John 4:45-53
45 So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.
46 So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.
47 When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.
48 Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."
49 The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"
50 Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives." So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.
51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"
52 Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."
53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives." And he himself believed, and his whole household.
The journey between believing and receiving is often long and hard. Like the anxious father from Capernaum, we hear the words of Jesus, yet see no visible change. Choosing to believe what He said, we travel forward with nothing more than the hope in our heart, and the word that was given.
Jesus chided the people of His day for not believing unless they saw signs and wonders. They rejoiced in what He did and received Him gladly, yet their faith was based in what they could see. Such faith rests in the visible realm rather than in God. It is easily swayed and quickly lost. The father however was desperate for an answer. He was not swayed by questions or seemingly irrelevant details. He himself however would become a living record of one who dares to believe.
Undeterred by Jesus' words, the father asks Him to come. His request is simple, and his faith is real. I am sure that on his journey to Cana, the father had repeatedly imagined Jesus coming to his home and ministering to his dying child. Visions of Jesus entering his child’s room, thoughts of having Him in his home, sharing a meal and hosting a celebration, would have spurred the father on over the countless miles as he walked to Cana. Now face to face with the One he sought, he hears the words, “Go your way; your son lives.” There was no promise of Jesus’ company, or acknowledgment of his plans - just a simple promise of a prayer that was answered.
How many times have we envisaged and planned God’s response to our request? We have prayed our prayers and dreamed of how He will answer. When the Lord fails to meet those expectations, and we walk forward holding on to nothing but a promise, the road is long. Scripture is silent regarding this father’s battle with questioning and doubt. Personal experience teaches us however that it is a fight to retain the promise we’ve been given. Disappointment regarding unmet expectations can seek to flood our soul. Questions of trust, and the wisdom of holding to nothing more than a word, can dog our steps.
We long for the instant miracles, sudden breakthroughs, and quick answers to prayer. But what about when that does not happen? What about when we must choose to believe though we do not see? Faith’s hall of fame (Hebrews 11) is not filled with the names of people who immediately received. It tells of those who kept believing when the journey was long, and the answer tarried. It speaks of a faith that dared to believe in the word that was given even in the face of adversity.
Whether we have been walking and believing for a day, a week, a year, or a decade, does not change the validity of the promise. He who promises is faithful. The God who cannot lie, releases His word into our lives to steady our soul and proclaim our future.
Our faith is not revealed by what we see, but by what we believe. Regardless of how far we have travelled, or how long we have clung to a promise, His word is true. There will come a time in our journey when we will see what we have believed for. Until then, we walk holding on to His Word. You may ask, “When did Jesus say that our prayers were answered, our bodies healed, and our bondages broken?” When He hung whipped and beaten upon the cross and declared, “It is finished.” All of us will discover on the day we reach our destination, that it was just as He said.
Consider:
Have you been disappointed in the seeming lack of response by Jesus? Are there unmet expectations you have held onto, that need to be released? I encourage you to take this to the Lord and allow Him to speak to your heart.
What are the promises you are holding on to? Faith can only be seen in the things we have not yet received. Hold onto His Word and dare to believe.
