Matthew 8:5-12New Living Translation (NLT)
The Faith of a Roman Officer
5 When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him, 6 “Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.”
7 Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.”
8 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. 9 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 slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.”
10 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! 11 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. 12 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.”
Dear Father, I can come to you for any need. When I knock, you answer. When I call your name, you answer. I know I am not worthy, but because I have my faith and belief in Jesus, I can stand boldly in Christ. I am made worthy in Christ. Increase my faith and belief. When I stumble, please help me up. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you for your Word of Truth. Thank you for giving me ears to hear and eyes to see. In Jesus’ Name I Pray, Amen.
