Amazing Faith & The Gift of Grieving

 “Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof: Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And they that were sent, returning to the house, found the servant whole that had been sick.”

Luke 7:6-10 KJV

What faith, to know that all it takes was the Word from Jesus’ mouth and the centurion’s servant would be healed! Think of all the obstacles we face daily, big and small. Think of how little faith we truly have when it comes to our lives and the lives of those we care for. How often do we pray boldly to God, asking Him to take control, asking for His Will to be done, and fully believing that He is not only capable but willing to assist us, the unworthy sinners? 

Recently, I have been on a grief journey that I could never have possibly imagined. Almost six months ago someone close to my family graduated from this life to their heavenly home…and it was like a domino effect. Within a few months we lost so many close friends, and family members that it seems like I couldn’t keep count anymore. Honestly, even just a few weeks ago another friend passed away. We could have been at memorials pretty much every weekend since early October. A few lessons have been learned from this somber adventure…

First, at a close friend’s service, the priest spoke of how every feeling we experience is a gift from God, even grief. Grief is a gift? Yes, a precious gift that means we had happy memories with that person and our heart misses the opportunity to make any future memories. But as Christians our grief is tempered with joy that comes from knowing they are truly in paradise with our Father, no more pain, no more sorrow, fully made whole again. 

Second, let’s talk about asking God to make our loved ones whole, to heal them. If we are truly to give over our illusion of control, we need to commit to it completely. If we faithfully ask God to heal our loved ones, we have to accept that His Will may be for their healing to occur in heaven, not on earth. Yes, in a Word God could grant complete, sometimes miraculous healing on earth for our loved one/s, however sometimes that is not His plan. We have to accept that our faith in Him means we won’t always understand His plan, His ways, and His path for not only our lives, but also for the lives of those we love. 

Finally, and I really learned this in 2017/2018 when I lost my maternal grandparents, grief hits at different times. Once you get past that initial sadness, and feeling of loss, the hole in your heart doesn’t magically seal itself up and move on. Sometimes, I’ll be watching television with my husband and something that’s not necessarily sad will just hit me the right way, making me miss one of the many loved ones who have gone before me, and I’ll feel my eyes start to leak. Sometimes I struggle to get through singing a hymn in Sunday service because it was sung at one of the memorial services I’ve attended, or it in some way reminds me of a loved one passed. 

The faith this centurion had that just a word from Jesus could heal his servant was as rare then as it is now. And in those days, they had Jesus on this earth! The disciples witnessed miracle after miracle and yet Jesus said multiple times in the Gospels they lacked in faith. Jesus rewarded his faith by healing the man’s servant. I don’t think that’s to say that if our loved ones aren’t healed when we pray / ask that our faith was lacking. Miracles would not be so special if they became commonplace. My Grama Ginny used to always say, “we know who’s in charge.” And this centurion seemed to have a full grasp on who was in charge as well. 

Are you letting doubt creep into your world? Do you believe God has full capability to provide what you’re asking for with but one Word? How are you practicing your faith today?

Will you join me in prayer? 

Heavenly Father, You amaze me daily that You would listen to my unworthy requests, and with a word You grant the ones in line with Your will. Help my unbelief Lord, when I doubt, when I stumble, when I try to take control on my own. Please guide my steps, and my words as I cry out to You for the needs in my life, and the lives of those I love. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.