SPEAK THE WORD ONLY

"Just speak the word only, and my servant will be healed." Matthew 8:8

The centurion begged Jesus, "One of my servants is home sick of the palsy, grievous tormented!

Jesus didn't hesitate. "Come on, let's go right now!" Jesus was more than ready, willing and able to accompany him back to the house, but the centurion said, "No, I am not worthy to have you under my roof, but just say the word, and I know my servant will be healed. I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, "Go," and they go, or "Come," and they come, and if I say to my servant do this or that, he does it. Matthew 8:9 

Just speak the word only and my servant will be healed.

When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, "I tell you the truth, I haven't seen faith like this in all of Israel. "Go home. Because you believed, it has happened!" And the servant was healed that same hour. Matthew 8:13  

And his servant was healed that same hour. Matthew 8:13

So I ask you, what boss calls the doctor for you, or seeks such help for one of his employees? This employer was no doubt in upper management. You'd think he'd be too business-minded to worry himself over one employee. At the very least, he might have his immediate supervisor give him a call, but most likely not even a manager would bother.  I've never had a boss call me to see how I was doing. If they did call, it was to ask when I was coming back to work. 

So when will you be coming back to work?

I have one of those mothers-in-law that smothers her son with as much coddling as she can squeeze in. She literally pats him on the back or gives him a little squeeze on his arm.  She often oversteps her bounds, usurping the role of both wife and overprotective mother. No one could possibly love or care for her son the way she can. In doing so, she is condescending, patronizing and elevates herself to a place of superiority in every micromanaging way possible. Recently, her son had knee surgery that required quite a bit of aftercare. She was right there, making sure I did every little thing to her exact specifications, such as, "be sure to wear gloves when you change the bandage, and you will change the bandage in the morning, won't you (not a question) ... I'll be calling to make sure you do." And with that, she gave me 'the look.' As she was leaving with all maternal pomp and circumstance, I reassured her not to worry ... that I would take very good care of 'her son' to which she replied, "Oh, I know you will ... I've been watching you!" As much as she would like me to think she was complementing me, she wasn't; she was bestowing her approval, which I didn't seek or need. I was particularly offended -- more than other times when I felt watched and controlled by mother-may-I as if I worked for her rather than with her. 

As soon as she was out of sight, I ran to the Lord with my complaint, but instead of ministering to me after her outlandish offense, the Holy Spirit began to remind me of this story about the centurion and his servant. I had no idea where the Lord was going with this. It seemed He was always taking me the roundabout way to somewhere else ... like a parent changing the subject, hoping maybe I'll forget about my disgruntled irritation, and our little heart-to-heart will end with a laugh or two ... eh, eh ... and maybe --- just maybe -- after my tears are dried he'd hear me say, "Oh Lord, how did you do that trick? I feel so much better now!" But, no. He told me a parable with a personal message that was tailored just for me ... a little mystery for me to figure out. And figure it out I did! It was like a gift ... a great big present wrapped with pretty paper brimming over with oodles of swirling ribbon under a big fat bow  ... and inside was a wonderful, unexpected surprise!  

This isn't a story about a centurion, or a boss, or a manager. It's a beautiful picture of God, Himself. He is the one with the trusted, faithful, willing and obedient servants. He is the one who cares about the one and the only, you! God is not a micro-manager! Those of us who work for Him have autonomy. We come and go, and our boss doesn't get out the white glove or monitor our every move. He cares more about our welfare than our work. He'd rather see us use our gifts and calling in a creative, expressive way rather than follow a list of chores.  He doesn't have a checkoff list for us to sign. He makes sure we have all that we need so that we lack nothing to get the job done well, and He meets those needs with carefulness, compassion and concern. Our approval will come later when one day we will hear Him say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant!" 

This is why He was so amazed by the centurion's declaration of faith that he had to turn to those who were following Him saying, "I've never seen such faith in all of Israel!" The centurion saw a glimpse of the Father that no one in Israel ever saw before ...

GOD IS NOT A MICRO-MANAGER!

Needless to say, I wept at how carefully my heavenly Father orchestrated a story that ministered so expressly to me, and set me free from the bondage of an overbearing, controlling and oppressive spirit. The message and its meaning is this: I don't work for her. I am not her servant. I am a staffer in the House of the Lord, and freely and gladly do whatever my Master asks me to do. When He says, "Go," I go, and when He says, "Come," I come. In like manner, the Lord demonstrates the same for us so that we may say, "Just say the word and I know you will do it." We are created in His image and in His likeness. He is the true Caregiver ... the Good Samaritan ... the one who crosses over to the bleeding side of a helpless man otherwise left for dead, and He does it with love, dignity and a high regard for His people. He doesn't overlook or dismiss us!

For he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. Luke 1:48

For the rest of the week I took care of 'the patient' the way the centurion cared of His servant, and I did it all as unto the Lord. No one could be better suited for the job than the one God calls, whether it be to do this or that, or to go here or there. He doesn't always call the qualified, but He does qualify the called by placing Christ in you, the hope of glory! Therein is what Jesus meant when He said, "I have meat that ye know not of." (John 4:32) The fulfillment of His work was to do the will of His Father.

King David got it too ... "Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere." Psalm 84:10 

Many people say that more hours in the workplace would make all the difference, particularly in austere economic times. But a recent report suggests that we are more concerned with our independence, rather than the contents of our bank accounts. The research, a big stats-crunching study of 40 years' worth of data from 63 countries and 420,000 individuals, examined the national levels of well-being by looking at psychological health, anxiety and burnout. Thy authors compared these measures with the calculations of wealth determined by *gross domestic product (GDP) and autonomy (the felling of being independent.) Across all measures, autonomy had a larger and more consistent effect on well-being than wealth. (More Money or More Freedom, Which Would You Choose?; Forbes; Sebastian Bailey 2013) 

Jesus said, "My yoke is easy, my burden is light, and my commandments are not grievous."

Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed unto him as a few days because of his love for her. Genesis 29:20

Like King David, you and I can serve the Lord with gladness, and come before His presence with singing! Psalm 100:2 

We love Him and serve Him because He first loved and served us ... with autonomy rather than micromanaging.  Yes, my friend, God has regarded your low estate and is concerned more about your liberty (autonomy) than placing you under a yoke of bondage (micro-management) 

*The Bureau of Economic Analysis measures nominal GDP quarterly, which is the best way to compare gross domestic product between countries.  

THE UNKNOWN FACTOR

But Jesus, overhearing their conversation said, "Do not be afraid, only believe." Mark 5:36

This morning a very dear friend of mine sent me a text that read:

"I had two biopsies and markers inserted yesterday.  Bandaged up and on the mend now. My doctor wants me to come in for an MRI" to which she added, "kind of scares me, but probably just a precaution."

I wrote her back ...

When you think about it, every second has an unknown factor built into it, and because it is unknown, it kinda scares all of us. I'm thinking about Mars Hill where Paul discovered a shrine for every idol under the sun, including one to the unknown God. It was right there among every other idol already named. Now this unknown god in particular was also there in case there happened to be a god they hadn't yet thought of so Paul preached that the unknown god was the God who made the world and everything in it. Acts 17:24. I'm thinking the unknown factor in every second also needs to be filled with God. He has a name, the name of Jesus. I believe that is how we replace our unknowing fears with His all-knowing peace. I believe when the Lord takes His rightful place in the unknown factor of our lives, we are no longer afraid, but have peace with God no matter what comes our way.   

When you think about it, every second of our day does have an unknown factor built into it. We go about our business as if nothing could stop us. I once heard someone say, "Life is what happens when you're busy making plans." It's true, isn't it? 

There have been some very serious events of late that will serve to illustrate my point. Hurricanes with up to 185 mph winds devoured -- in one moment -- someone's life as usual. Unquenchable fires burning thousands of acres along with homes and livestock stopped someone's life as usual. The recent earthquake in Mexico with a magnitude of 8.1 destroyed someone's life as usual. What about the recent flood in Texas that has left thousands of people without the resources to make plans as usual?  Someone will get into their car today expecting to drive from here to there, but no one expects the possibility of an accident. These unavoidable factors have the power to waylay postpone, rearrange, change or just do away with the plans people make. 

The Guardian / Flooding in Texas

Hurricane in progress

Fire threatens to destroy homes and lives

Recent earthquake in Mexico with a magnitude of 8.1

I am not one to consider the possibility of a traffic jam, road construction, parking issues or detours, let alone something more devastating as an earthquake, a fire or a flood -- I just aim to arrive on time as the crow flies -- but from minor inconveniences to major catastrophes, these are just a few examples of the unknown factors that can arise, interfere with, and/or disrupt our personal plans. As my friend so aptly worded it, "kind of scares me."

What about one's health?  One can feel perfectly healthy one minute, see a doctor for a routine checkup, receive devastating news, and one's life is dramatically changed before leaving the doctor's office. Yes, our plans and expectations are subject to the unknown factor. They can be life-changing one minute, and life-threatening the next.

I once heard a story about a man who decided to walk to the store for a new pair of shoes. On his way he bumped into a friend of his who asked him where he was going, to which he replied, "I'm off to buy a new pair a shoes." His friend relied, "You mean you're off to buy a new pair of shoes, Lord willing," to which he replied back, "No, I've got my money right here in my wallet; the store is open, and they have the shoes I want ... I've seen them in the storefront window ... so there's no Lord willing about it. I'm off to buy a new pair of shoes and a new pair of shoes I shall buy." They said their good-byes and on he went to the shoe store. On his way, he crossed an alley where he got mugged, robbed, beat up and left for dead. By the time he came to, the store had closed and it was dark. As he hobbled home hunched over in pain and limping, he saw his friend again who asked what happened? After describing his woes, he asked, "Well, where are you going now?" to which the disheveled man answered, "Home, Lord willing!"

Come with me -- if you're willing -- to Mars Hill, a place in Athens, Greece where Paul is waiting for Silas and Timothy to arrive. He has been dropped off after some brothers helped him run for his life to escape from yet another life-threatening mob scene -- this time in Berea -- for what? for preaching the word of God. Paul experiences one unknown factor after the other ... always something threatening his life while endeavoring to stick to the plan. The longer Paul waits in Athens, the angrier he becomes because he discovers the city is a junkyard for every idol imaginable. Having already endured so many unknown factors in his own personal experience, he can relate to a bunch of useless, unknown gods never stepping up to help in time of need.

   

Downtown Athens is a great place for serious gossip. There are always people hanging around, natives and tourists alike, waiting for the latest intellectual tidbit on most any subject. He takes note that the Athenians take their religion seriously. Paul seizes the moment and takes his place in an open space at the Areopagus. He lays it out to them that their unknown factor is the God who made the whole world and everything in it. Acts 17:24.

He begins ...

 "When I arrived here the other day, I was fascinated with all the shrines I came across. And then I found one inscribed, TO THE GOD NOBODY KNOWS. I'm here to introduce you to this God so you can worship intellectually, and know who you are dealing with." 

Paul preaches about the God nobody knows at the Areopagus in Athens

• When you think about it, every second has an unknown factor built into it, and because it is unknown, it kinda scares all of us. 
• I'm thinking the unknown factor in every second needs to be filled with God. He has a name, His name is Jesus. 
• I believe that is how we replace our unknowing fears with His all-knowing peace. 
• I believe when the Lord takes His rightful place in the unknown factor of our lives, we are no longer afraid, but have peace with God no matter what comes our way.  
• I believe this is how Paul learned to handle all the unknown factors that came his way, and why he was so fired up to preach about the unknown god.   

Do not be afraid, only believe Mark 5:36