Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. 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.
“Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.”
The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”
“Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.”
The man took Jesus at his word and departed. John 4:46-50

Faith comes in all shapes and varieties. When Jesus first arrived, the royal official was desperate for Jesus to heal his child. What was Jesus’ response? It was a mini-lecture on signs and wonders. What was the man’s response to that….yeah, but you can heal my son. He was so focused on his own pain and misery that he completely ignored what Jesus had said.

I find that true in my own life. I know what the Bible says. I know what others have counseled, but I’m so focused on the moment, that I ignore the help around me. In the end, though, Jesus pronounced the boy would live.

It’s what the man wanted to hear. It’s actually what we all want to hear: “done!”

The last part of that verse is significant: the man took Jesus at his word. That’s quite a feat, isn’t it?

And yet, isn’t it the very definition of faith: taking Jesus at his word?