WHEN GOD TALKS, FAITH WALKS.

“Just pray, then go with the flow,” Dad advised, taking a leisurely sip of coffee.

I slammed my empty cup on the table. “But God’s not answering quick enough!”

It’s not my nature to slow down and “go with the flow.”

I want God to get going. Now.

But watching Dad’s unhurried gait as he left the restaurant made me wonder:

Does the way we walk reflect our beliefs?

Truth be told, we all tend to run ahead of God and try to fix the things we can.

So how do we slow down our anxious hearts to wait on God?

We can learn something from the royal official who came to Jesus in John 4.

Like us, this man wanted instant answers in his situation. For him, it was a matter of life or death. He needed someone to heal his dying son.

So, he sprinted twenty long miles of rugged road to find Jesus and beg Him to come.

Not when it was convenient. Right now.

Moved with compassion, Jesus healed the boy without taking a single step in his direction. Jesus told the father that all was well. His prayer was answered. He could go.

“You may go. Your son will live.” (v50)

But was it true? The proof lay twenty miles in the other direction.

Like all of us who petition the Lord, this anxious dad had a choice to make.

Should he find help somewhere else? Assume Jesus didn’t care?

Or trust, obey, and “go with the flow” based on what Jesus said?

Jesus said the healing was complete, so this dad made the right choice for his family.

He didn’t ask why, where, when, or how. He believed and carried on.

“The man took Jesus at His Word and departed.” (v51)

How fast did that man walk after hearing God’s Word?

Most of us would have hired a chariot to speed home and verify the miracle. Not this man of faith.

Looking at the timeline, this trusting man didn’t rush. Maybe he stopped to pick up flowers for his wife. Possibly searched the shelves of a roadside market to find a new toy for his son. Who knows?

But why not? A person who believes God knows life is worth celebrating.

Each unhurried step we take through our circumstances declares faith in our Mighty God.

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)

This man walked toward the victory, slow and steady, trusting God’s Word. His confident steps must have rattled the gates of hell.

Before he arrived home, a servant confirmed the good news.

His son was healed at EXACTLY the moment Jesus had said so.

Now it was time to take off running for joy. This family had a lot of living to do.

So trust in God’s Word. Ask for what you need. You might not see it immediately, but you will receive.

Let’s start walking like we believe.

Or as Dad would say, “Just pray, then go with the flow.”