July 17 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Matthew 8:5–10

Devotional

In Matthew 8 we read of a Roman centurion who did not pray for himself, but for another. “Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.” We know his prayer was answered because his servant was healed. But the centurion was better off as well, because by his plea for his servant, he was bound to Christ with a great faith. His concern was not for himself, but by going to Jesus he himself was blessed. He only spoke of himself as being unworthy: “Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof.” He came for his servant, and put himself in the background. He therefore would not have expected to be praised by Christ for his faith. It went well for him. His servant was healed, and he himself was pronounced blessed. This intercessor received the better part. He received a blessing which was a far more glorious gift than the health of his servant.

Is this not a lesson to make us ashamed? We are always so busy with caring for ourselves and attending to our own needs. Now to a certain extent this must be done. We must especially attend to our spiritual needs. It would be an everlasting mistake if the needs of our soul never drove us out to God. It is also good to attend to our daily needs. Each person may go to God with his own needs. Our soul must be saved and that needs to be done personally. And yet there is a lesson here that can put us to shame, because we can be too busy with ourselves. Can this also not be a reason for spiritual darkness? The centurion was enlightened about his own condition by bringing the needs of another to the Lord. If he had left his servant in pain and suffering, then he would not have had this precious encounter with Christ. Intercession is a fruit of spiritual life by which salvation is tasted personally.

The Roman centurion prayed for another. The one he prayed for was not one above him in position. It was his servant; he was merely an ordinary soldier. It is a good thing to pray for those who are important and great in the eyes of men, as long as we do not forget to pray for those who are despised and considered to be unimportant. By only praying for important people we fall into the danger of feeling good about ourselves.

 

From The Everlasting Word by Frans Bakker, compiled and translated by Gerald R. Procee. Reformation Heritage Books and Free Reformed Publications, 2007. Used by permission. For further information, click here.