Speak the Word Only

Certain things in the Bible we are forced to accept by faith. There is no logical explanation for God’s ability to create the universe out of nothing.

One day God spoke into the darkness and said, “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3). Light appeared. Each day for six days, God simply spoke, and the world was created. He spoke the firmament into existence, as well as water, plants, animals, and more. Psalm 33:6, 9 says, By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast. But equally important as the objective fact that God made something out of nothing is the reality that there is still creative power in the Word of God —and re-creative power. The same Word that called worlds into existence still brings the power of God into our lives. In Matthew, chapter eight, we read about a centurion that pled with Jesus to heal his servant. When Jesus offered to visit his home and heal the servant, the centurion explained his unworthiness and told Jesus to “only speak a word” (Matthew 8:8).

He was certain that a word from Jesus would heal his servant. He explained to Jesus that he was also “a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it” (verse 9). Recognizing that people acted in accordance with his own word, the centurion believed the word of Jesus possessed power to do infinitely more. Even diseases would obey Jesus’ command.

Jesus remarked that He had never before seen such faith in all of Israel, and here it was being exercised by a Gentile.