Linda - February 6, 2022.  Once again, the notes in my New Jerusalem Bible are very helpful in giving us a deeper understanding of the interchange between the Roman centurion and Jesus.  There is a quality of faith that the Lord seeks from His people, a faith that gives Him free hand to do all that He is quite capable of doing and in His days, he found this faith not in a Jew but in a pagan Roman.  Quite ironic in fact!:

"The faith that Jesus asks for from the outset of his public life and throughout his subsequent career, is that act of trust and of self-abandonment by which people no longer rely on their own strength and policies but commit themselves to the power and guiding word of Him in whom they believe...Since faith demands the sacrifice of the whole person, mind and heart, it is not an easy act of humility to perform; many decline it, particularly in Israel, or are half-hearted...When faith is strong it works wonders and its appeal is never refused especially when it asks for forgiveness of sin and for that salvation of which it is the necessary condition."

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Marcel and I both long for that kind of faith.  It's the kind of faith that we believe, leads to miracles, healings and deliverance.  It's the kind of faith that says to Jesus, "I know that you can do everything and that every single facet of my life is in your very capable hands.  Because I believe this, I will no longer rely on my own lights and will therefore leave everything in your hands and not worry about it".  As the notes above state, this kind of letting go is not easy to do because we so often end up falling back on our own strength and understanding - often without really realizing it.  But...nothing is impossible to God...🙂