Our daily reflections follow the M'Cheyne Bible reading plan, designed for those who want to read the whole Bible in one year. Each reflection focuses on one of the chapters from that day's readings. Darllenwch rhain yn Gymraeg.
Lord, open my ears to hear what you have to say to me; open my heart to love your word, and open my mind to understand your truth.
Jesus' healing miracles were normally performed face to face. This one is like the healing of the centurion's servant in Matthew 8 and Luke 7; it's from a distance. He is in Cana; the son of a government official is dying in Capernaum. 'Go, your son will live!' Jesus tells him (verse 50).
What would have been in the man's head as he set off on his journey? It was more than 16 miles. Are we to imagine that he was blithely confident, trotting along on his horse without a care in the world? It doesn't seem likely. And it looks as though he was delayed on his journey (verse 52), an added pressure. No matter how strong his faith, he would have been eaten up with worry and fear, desperate to see his son well, hoping and praying all the way. The news that met him on the way was a blessing, cutting short his trial, but we can imagine his feelings.
There's a parallel here with our own journeys. We might very well 'believe', as the government official did; but we still have to go through times of testing and trial. We may face doubts and fears along the way. We might wish we could have all our questions answered and our worries removed, but it doesn't work like that. As the second-century writer Clement of Alexandria said: ‘We may not be taken up and transported to our journey's end, but must travel thither on foot, traversing the whole distance of the narrow way.’
God, help me to keep going when the way is hard. Keep me faithful to your promise, and believing in your word.
This reflection was written by Mark Woods, Bible Society's Editor
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