Luke 7:1-30

7:8 "For I also am a man placed under authority, with soldiers under me..."

Jesus makes note of the man who understands that Jesus's power is not limited to close proximity, but that His authority allows Him to perform His works anywhere and anytime.

I was thinking here that if Jesus said "I say to you not even in Israel have I found such great faith.", I should probably look at what Jesus was looking at and try to exemplify it. So what did Jesus see?

Jesus saw:
-a man with a need
-a man who knew who to ask to meet that need
-a man who recognized the authority that sent Jesus
-a man who recognized the authority Jesus had
-a man who understood the power that came with that kind of authority

So let's see how I compare:
-I have needs
-I don't always ask the right person to meet those needs
-I recognize the authority that sent Jesus
-I understand the authority that Jesus has, but I don't always submit to it
-I don't always understand the power that comes with Jesus' authority

Two out of five... yikes. Many times some issue comes up and I ponder it for a bit, search scriptures for help, then ask one of my five or so good friends or family members that I consider excellent sources of wisdom for their input. I don't know how many times they've asked me, "have you prayed about it?" I get so wrapped up in trying to deal with my issues biblically, I completely miss the point that I'm supposed to entreat God to solve the issues Himself. I should first and foremost praying and asking for guidance and support, then going to the Word and wise, godly friends to glean the plan God has for tackling the issue.

My problem is that I haven't yet been able to beat the idea out of my head that if I mature enough, I'll be able to handle life's problems on my own. If I mature enough, eventually I figure out that I can't handle ANY of life's problems on my own and submit to God's authority over the problems right from the get-go.

Lord, help me to recognize Your authority. Help me to submit to that authority in seeking Your support and allowing You to work Your plan in my life. Please give me this great faith.