MONTHLY PRAYER MESSAGE
I n this our Prayer Message for De cember, let us look at the text together: “And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went un to him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son; for he was at the point of death. Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die. Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way. And as he was going down, his servant met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth. Then en quired he of them the hour when he began to mend. And they said unto him, yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth; and himself believed, and his whole house” . (John 4:46-53). In the story recorded here we have the unique picture of God’s dealings with an individual. Therefore, for the individual there are some very basic
principles in this account that pertain very difinitely to the subject of prayer. In this story we see need, petition, faith, and submission to the w ill of God, and God’s direct response. I would call your attention first to this man’s need. He was greatly con cerned about the physical condition of his son and rightly so. Having heard of the miracle performed by Jesus at an earlier time at Cana, and of other miracles done in Jerusalem and its en virons, there arose within him the hope that Jesus could cure his son. It was a hope bom of desperation. One thing that impresses me strongly is the fact that this nobleman was a man of action for he made straight for Jesus Christ, who was ministering about thirty miles from his home, to solicit His help. We ,must not miss the fact that this man’s recognition of his NEED was important. How many have desperate spiritual needs but in their blind stub bornness and self-sufficiency refuse to accept and acknowledge their plight. All too many often make prayer a sort of “last resort” in their desperation. Prayer should be our first natural im pulse in response to a crisis in our (continued on next page) 13
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