“When Jesus heard him, he was amazed and said to those who followed him, “Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith” (Matthew 8:10).

What is faith?  Is it not absolutely trusting without even fully understanding how or why?  Faith and authority go together.  Do you trust the Lord?  I mean, really, absolutely, trust the Lord?  We are called to trust Him above all things, including our circumstances, understanding, or ability to know.  Have faith in Jesus such that you trust Him at His word.  If He says He will do something, He will do it.  You may not see the result, but that does not matter. The Lord is absolutely trustworthy.

Lord, I want to trust, but too often I do not.  Life’s circumstances get in the way, and I let the circumstances dictate my level of trust.  Help me to have true faith, not to trust the things of this world but trusting You above all things.  Guide me in Your goodness to know that in You alone is my hope.  You are trustworthy.  You who spoke all things into existence will accomplish all that You have promised.

Holy Spirit, confront me in my lack of trust today.  Help me to see where I am not trusting.  Lead me away from trusting things of the world more than You.  Guide me in goodness to understand and live out the first commandment where I trust You above all things.  Lead me this day to live by the justifying faith You give by grace to do those things You give me to do.  May I be faithful to Your call this day.  Amen.

“For I also 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 slave, ‘Do this,’ and the slave does it” (Matthew 8:9).

Scripture is filled with the truth of our need for authority.  The sinner believes they are an authority unto themselves.  Granted authority, you do what you are commanded  under the authority granted you.  We are also to respect the granted authority.  “When I say do this, the slave does it.”  We too are under the authority of Christ.  We are to do what He tells us to do.  When He says, “Go,” we are to go.

Lord, in contemporary culture, I too believe that I can do as I please.  Help me to understand that You are the only One with all power and authority.  You grant it to whom You grant it.  Bring me to the place where I respect authority such that I submit, even when I do not agree with what is being done.  I’m not talking about wanton sinfulness, but whether I would do things in a different way.

Lord Jesus, throughout Your earthly ministry, You demonstrated that You were absolutely under the authority of the Father.  You did not waver.  Help me to realize today that I am absolutely under Your authority.  Teach me to not question You, but to do what You ask me to do.  Teach me true obedience so that in my daily life, I respect all granted authority and learn how to be an obedient citizen under legitimate authority.  Amen.

“And he said to him, “I will come and cure him.”  The centurion answered, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed” (Matthew 8:7-8).

There are two things to note here: first, this Roman Captain is humble; and second, he understands authority.  We can learn from this.  How much grief in the church would be avoided if we members simply lived humbly and respected authority.  Of course, the word of the Lord is all-powerful.  He spoke all things into existence.  This verse reminds us of the attitude with which we are to approach the Lord.

Lord, You know how often I come to You expecting that You will do as I say.  Humble me, for You alone are the God of all creation.  Yes, I may make requests, but let the requests be from my heart and always with an attitude of humility.  Help me to learn, no matter from whom or how, so that I may be faithful in this call You have given me to be Your disciple.

Holy Spirit, correct me when I make petitions so that I remain humble and trust that every answer will be good, right, and salutary.  Guide me in the way of truth in order that I may learn to live in this righteousness You give by grace and through faith.  May I pray this day, knowing that all things are in the Father’s hands.  May I know that even things I do not ask for are provided so that Thy heavenly will shall be done.  Amen.

“When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, appealing to him  and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible distress” (Matthew 8:5-6).        

A captain in the Roman army approached Jesus.  The Romans were hated in Israel.  It would be the same as an SS officer coming into the Jewish quarter during WWII.  He came and asked Jesus for something.  How dare someone like that approach Jesus!?  But Our Lord loves us all, even those we consider an enemy.  Let your heart be transformed so that you see others as the Lord sees them. Jesus showed us the way.

Lord, it does seem outrageous that You would entertain the petitions of what I believe to be your enemy because they are my enemy.  But then, am I not your enemy every time I sin?  Transform our hearts so that we see Your image in the other, for You have created us all in Your image.  Guide my heart to see others as You see them.  Move me from this world’s way of seeing things to see things as they truly are.

Lord Jesus, You did not join in what I can only imagine was the attitude of those who followed You.  You allowed this Roman captain to come and make His request.  Lead me to meet all whom I may encounter treating them with the same human decency I would like to be treated with if I were approaching You in a similar circumstance.  Help me to see reality through Your eyes in all that I do.  Amen.

“Then Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them” (Matthew 8:4).

At first you may wonder why Jesus did not want this known.  Jesus was humble while walking on the earth, but this was something between Jesus and the leper.  It was personal healing.  Do what you have been commanded to do and give a testimony to what God has already established, lest you forget humility and slide into pride.  How often do we make public what should remain private?

Lord, help me to obey all that You command even when I do not understand.  If you grant the desire of my petition, let me praise You.  If You do not grant my petition, let me praise You.  As the hymn says, “This is our Father’s world.”  Moving from the prideful notion of God being under our direction to the place where we are under God’s direction is the challenge before us when we pray.

Holy Spirit, You know the way I pray.  Lead me away from prayers that demand to prayers that look to You for guidance.  Guide me in Your goodness to learn how to pray without ceasing, seeking the Father’s will in all I say and do.  Teach me the way to pray and bring me to remembrance of the Lord’s Prayer.  In all my prayers, help me to see Your loving hand of guidance.  Amen.

“He stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I do choose. Be made clean!” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed” (Matthew 8:3).

Healing is the Lord’s choice.  Mind you, in grace, all who believe are healed with salvation.  We pray to be healed, and it is the Lord’s choice as to whether this is going to be done.  Of course, the Lord can heal.  He knows the chain of events for everything.  He does all things with great purpose, and this is His creation.

Too many approach the Lord expecting that because they are lifting up a prayer, the Lord will do what we ask.  Of course He can do it; that is not the question.  Is what you are asking something that will trigger off a sequence of events contrary to God’s will?  You do not know, but He foreknows.  We are given the promise that for those who love Him all things work together for good

Lord God, I have lifted many prayers to You with the expectation that You would do what I say instead of what You say.  When You said “No,” I was disappointed.  Help my heart to shift so that when praying I know that the Father’s will shall be done.  Teach me to pray in humility so that I am thankful for the privilege of coming to You in prayer, trusting that You love all who walk in the Spirit and will do what is best for all of Your creation.  Amen.

“When Jesus had come down from the mountain, great crowds followed him; and there was a leper who came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean” (Matthew 8:1-2).

“Lord, if you choose,” is the way to pray.  Maybe the Lord knows something we do not and will not heal.  The Lord is Lord and He will do nothing that will thwart the Father’s plans.  Too many seem to think that all they need do is ask and Jesus will grant whatever we ask.  But the reality is, the Lord is always the Lord and we are the sinners who are making a humble request.  Humility is always in order.

Lord, I do often treat You like some cosmic Santa Claus.  If You give me what I want, You are good.  If You do not, I do not like You.  Strip that sinful heart away so that in good times and bad time, I praise You.  You are the One who must author and finish my faith.  You know what I need even before I ask.  Lead me to live into the life You are calling me to live so that I may learn how to be faithful.

Lord Jesus, You have healed whom You have healed, but You did not heal all the people.  We sinners do not understand this.  But You are Lord.  Help me always approach You in humility, just as I am, to follow Your lead.  Guide me today and when I pray, turn my heart to willing submission so that whatever Your answer, I praise You.  Lead me, Lord Jesus, so that I may learn from You how to be faithful.  Amen.

“When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes” (Matthew 7:28 – 29).

“He was teaching as One who has authority.”  This is one of the greatest understatements you will ever encounter.  So many are amazed at Jesus and then go on their way and live the life they have chosen.  Why not listen to the One who has all authority?  In Him is life!  Of course He teaches with authority.  He is the only One on earth who has ever taught with absolute authority because He is the only One who actually knows for sure what He is talking about.

Lord, I have learned and I know many things, but I do not know all things.  You do.  Help me to listen to You knowing that You know all things.  Guide me in the way of everlasting life so that I may trust and be guided by You in all things.  You know the beginning from the end.  Why do I listen to others when You are instructing me in how to live?  Open my ears to hear and obey You as You speak words of truth.

Come, Holy Spirit, and direct me in the ways You know I need to go this day.   Open my heart to receive and my ears to hear as You guide me step by step.  Let me see the appointments You have for me this day and guide me to fulfill them.  As I walk through this day, may I be guided by You alone, doing what is pleasing to the Father.  Guide me in the grace of Jesus I pray.  Amen.

“And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.  And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell – and its collapse was great” (Matthew 7:26-27).

The winds of this world are constantly blowing.  We are tossed about by the waves of constant flux.  A positive spin is put on it and we call it change.  Sometimes we even call it progress.  Come to the One who does not change.  Come to the One who is the foundation of all that exists.  Build your life upon Him and although the winds will still blow and the flux will still be around you, you will have the constancy of the One who never changes.

Lord, why do I hesitate to live a life built upon You?  I say I want this and in the next moment I go back.  I am like one of the early church fathers whose prayer, “Lord, make me chaste,” discovered later in life that all the while He was really saying, “but not yet.”  Take away my hesitance and lead me fully into the life You give through grace.  Help me to walk with You at all times and in all places.

Lord Jesus, You are the solid rock upon whom I can build my life.  Help me today to be more concerned with what You want than what those around me are saying.  Guide me to live into this life You have given me so that I may learn how to be faithful in even small things.  In all that You have in store for me, lead me to have an open heart and a willingness to be obedient to all that You will lead me through.  Amen.

“And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock” (Matthew 7:25).

The world is constantly drowning us with its pablum.  The fickle whirlwinds of this world are always blowing against stability.  Many fall because they build their lives on temporal things.  When you build your life upon Christ, the solid rock, you are building upon the One who brought all things into being.  In Him, Who changes not, you have hope.  The world cannot give you hope because it is always changing.

Lord, I know the world is always changing and yet it never changes.  We are led around in circles that go nowhere.  Help us, Lord, to understand that You have come bringing true hope and life.  In many ways, parts of what you ask us to do are so foreign, yet, when we have applied what You have taught us, we find that we are more content and at peace.  Take away the hindrances that keep us from building our life upon You.

Lord Jesus, You have come so that we may have life and have it abundantly.  Guide me today to see that in You alone is there hope.  You have come and will lead me.  Help me, beginning this day, to begin and end each day You give me in You.  Open my mind to receive what You will teach me.  Through the Holy Spirit, bring me to those appointments You have arranged.  Help me to learn how to be a willing and obedient servant.  Amen.