“For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
Matthew 8:9 ESV
The Kingdom of God is the place of God’s authority. It supercedes all earthly and demonic authority. The Lord Jesus has been given all authority in Heaven and on Earth. He reigns above it all.
When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him, “Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.”
Matthew 8:5-6 NLT
You can ask God to do something, like heal someone.
Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.”
Matthew 8:7 NLT
God is eager to respond when we approach Him in faith. Be bold in your prayers.
But the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed.”
Matthew 8:8 NLT
With great faith comes great humility. We know we are undeserving of God’s grace and mercy, but He loves everyone He created nonetheless. God is good. His power knows no bounds. His love is unfailing. Trust God.
“As you know, I’m in a chain of command and have soldiers at my command. I tell one of them, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and another, ‘Come!’ and he comes. I tell my servant, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”
Matthew 8:9 GW
There’s a chain of command in the heavenly realms: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Son carries out the will of the Father. The Holy Spirit empowers us to do God’s will. Every other spiritual force is subject to the Holy Spirit’s authority.
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 Israel!”
Matthew 8:10 NLT
The Roman officer, a Gentile not of Jewish birth, displayed faith unlike any in Israel at that time. He believed in God’s authority and He recognized Jesus as Lord.
When our faith is in Jesus, anything is possible.
“And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world — from east and west — and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven.
“But many Israelites — those for whom the Kingdom was prepared — will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Matthew 8:11-12 NLT
Our bloodline doesn’t determine our future when we’re born again of the Spirit. We are new creations in Christ. God is our Father now. We can approach Him boldly in faith and ask for anything according to His will and it will be done for us.
Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, “Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.”
And the young servant was healed that same hour.
Matthew 8:13 NLT
God is our healer and our deliverer. Have faith. He can move mountains. Pray and expect to witness miracles. You don’t need to be in the same room as the person you’re praying for. We pray to God. He answers as only He can, anywhere He wants, in whatever manner He chooses. God’s will cannot be stopped. So pray without ceasing.
Father in Heaven, may Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Heal us of our diseases. Deliver us from our demons. Bring peace to our minds and hearts. In the Name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
That evening many demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. He cast out the evil spirits with a simple command, and he healed all the sick.
This fulfilled the word of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah, who said, “He took our sicknesses and removed our diseases.”
Matthew 8:16-17 NLT
Recommended reading: Matthew 8.
Igniter Ministries 