How to impress God

Is there nothing the human race cannot achieve? In what way are we limited? The Great Pyramid of Giza was built around 2550 BC and remains one of the largest structures ever built by man. The accuracy of the workmanship is such that the four sides of the base have an average error of only 58 millimeters in length. Even to this day scientists can’t agree on how the structure was built. We are so smart that we can even outsmart ourselves for over four thousand years.

We build structures and civilizations and peer into the universe and into atoms. We send images and ideas to each other through the air. Our ability to heal and reconstruct the human body is nearly miraculous. And our capacity to destroy competes with nature itself. Is there anything, given time, that we cannot achieve?

Does any of this impress God? He watches us explore and discover His universe, but nothing is new or unknown to Him. So how do we call His attention?

The only thing that ever impressed Jesus was our faith. It literally astounded Him.

Jesus Heals a Centurion’s Servant

“Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him,saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.”

And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”

The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!… Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour.” (from the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 8)

“He marveled” it says. Jesus was blown away by this man’s faith. Why? Because in these gestures and attitudes, Jesus saw God. It is here where we witness God’s fullest power acting in our lives, through expressions of faith. If we act upon only what we can see, touch and prove — it isn’t faith. If we act upon what we can only know in our hearts, even despite all that rises against it — it is faith. Belief, trust, fidelity and vision are its components and its greatest manifestation is love. You can’t prove love in a science lab, and many times we fail to show our love. But it is there, we know it for certain. It makes the Egyptian Pyramids seem like nothing. Like Jesus, we marvel at our faith in love.

JHR

 

 

(photo courtesy of Nina Aldin Thune)