Daily Dose of the Word of God - John 4: 46-47

Kara Hackert, Director of Children & Family Ministries

Transcript

Kara Hackert  0:06 

 
Welcome to Elmhurst CRC's  Daily Dose of the Word of God. It's Tuesday, February 3 and I'm Kara Hackert. Today's reading is from John 4 verses, 46 through 47. With the spotlight on Jesus, and with the apostle John as our guide, let's read John 4: 46-47

Kara Hackert  0:32  

Once more he Jesus visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine and there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick in Capernaum. When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son who was close to death.

Kara Hackert  0:56  

In these verses, we meet a very scared father, a royal official whose son is very, very sick, close to death. He hears that Jesus has returned to Cana and immediately sets out to find him. This man has power, position and resources, yet none of those can save his child. So he does the only thing left to do: he goes to Jesus and begs. What stands out is that the official doesn't wait for certainty, only for hope. He has no proof that Jesus will come, no guarantee of healing. He simply believes that if Jesus is near, there's a chance that small seed of faith is enough. I read a devotional in this passage that says: "sometimes faith doesn't look like confidence. It looks like urgency. It looks like a parent walking miles with fear in their chest and a prayer on their lips. God is not intimidated by our desperation. He meets us in it."

Kara Hackert 2:06  

This passage invites us to ask ourselves: where do I turn first when I have bad days or when things are falling apart? Do we rely on ourselves, or do we run to Jesus? In children's worship, we often talk about how God does not promise that we'll not have bad days. No, he says that in this broken world, we will have times of trouble. He does promise us that he is with us and that He will never leave us or forsake us. Let us put our hope and our trust in him.

Kara Hackert 2:41  

Let's pray together. Dear Jesus, thank you for wanting us to reach out to you, to turn to you. Please teach us to go to you first, especially when we're afraid or unsure. Help us trust that you are with us. Strengthen our faith to move toward you even before we see the outcome. Amen.