What Are the Odds?
Jesus Heals An Official’s Son, John 4:46-54
Do you believe in coincidences? Have you ever found yourself saying, “What are the odds of THAT happening?!?!” Might I suggest that instead of just you “happening” to be in the right place at the right time, God had a hand in it? Is it possible that when that thing you really needed landed right in your lap at the last hour, it wasn’t just a coincidence but it was, in fact, God demonstrating His love and provision for you?
John 4:46-54 tells the story of a royal official who went from believing in coincidences to believing in God:
“And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at 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,” (v.46-47).
As a parent, I can only imagine this father's desperation as he came to Jesus for help. The courage it must have taken to leave his child, knowing at any moment death may come. When he finally met Jesus, he begged, as any parent would, for healing for his child. I don’t know what the official believed about God before this moment, but the Bible says he “took Jesus at his word,” when Jesus told him his son would live. Such faith! I don’t know about you but I would have insisted Jesus come with me and show me firsthand that my child would be healed. I would have had a hard time walking away and just trusting Jesus would take care of it as the official did. But look what happened next:
“While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, ‘Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.’ Then the father realized that this was the exact same time at which Jesus had said to him, ‘Your son will live.’ So he and his whole household believed,” (v.51-53).
Talk about a coincidence! Or, in this case, a miracle. The odds were stacked against the official’s son. He was on the brink of death. The official made a brave and hopeful plea to Jesus, and what do you know? Healing came at just the time Jesus said it would. It was more than a coincidence; it was God. God provided in the official’s moment of need, in the last hour when everything was at stake. The result wasn’t just the miracle of the boy’s recovery, but the salvation of an entire household.
Study & Reflection: Questions to ponder: When you go to God asking for healing, intervention, wisdom, or even a miracle, do you walk away trusting He’ll handle it? Do you take Him at His word? Why or why not?
What are some ways God has just “happened” to show up in your life? How you can see those as miracles instead of coincidences?
Prayer: Jesus, I come in desperation before you today. I beg for healing, for intervention, for provision. Meet my deepest needs, Lord. Give me faith to take You at Your word, to trust that You will do what You say. Thank you for the miracles already on the way. Use the prayers Your answering in my life to lead others to You. Amen.