Bold Requests that Change Outcomes

Posted on by Jennifer Arimborgo

 

“And Jesus said to him, ‘I will come and heal him’” (Matt. 8:7, NKJV).

“Then Jesus said to the centurion, ‘Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.’ And his servant was healed that same hour” (v. 13).

Take a look with me at the two verses above. In verse 7, Jesus was saying He would go to the centurion’s house to heal his gravely ill servant. Six verses later, He had changed His course of action. He stayed put and instead sent His word to heal the man.

What happened there? You likely know the story well. The centurion himself asked for this revised plan. Isn’t it amazing that Jesus changed His plan based on the centurion’s request?

What does this show us about the nature of God? Jesus is “the exact representation of His being” (Heb. 1:3, NIV). As He told us, when we look at Him, we see the Father (John 14:9). We can conclude that every detail recorded in the four narratives of Jesus’ earthly life is intentionally included. Holy Spirit selected each one to teach us something about our heavenly Father.

This story is no exception. In it, we see that the centurion’s words impacted Jesus’ course of action. Jesus welcomed and acted on his request. In like manner, our Abba invites our bold asking and chooses to be impacted by it in how He will proceed. How amazing is that? He actually welcomes our input into His conducting of affairs! Remember how He didn’t wipe out the Israelites’ existence when Moses asked Him not to? Remember how He would have saved Sodom and Gomorrah for the sake of just ten righteous men because Abraham asked?

Now, back to our original story. You know what especially sticks out to me about it? Jesus loved it that the centurion had the boldness to request a modification to His plan. He loved it so much that He exclaimed to everyone in earshot, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” (Matt. 8:10, NKJV).

In the same way, your Father loves it when you make bold requests of Him. He really wants you to ask. He delights in your confident requests. Ask, and you shall receive, and your joy shall be complete! (John 16:24). Ask, and what is written in Scripture is for you: “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you” (Matt. 8:13, NKJV).

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Psalm 37:4 tells us that as we delight ourselves in the Lord, He will give us the desires of our hearts. How does this play into the truths shared above? What does it mean to delight ourselves in the Lord?

11 thoughts on “Bold Requests that Change Outcomes”

  1. To delight ourselves in the Lord means to find joy and satisfaction in our relationship with Him. It means to seek Him above all else and to see our deepest fulfillment in knowing and loving Him. When we delight ourselves in the Lord, our desires align with His will for our lives. As a result, He can give us the desires of our hearts because they align with His good and perfect plan for us.

    Take care.

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  3. I often find myself falling into the words, “I know it’s a big thing to ask…” or “I know it doesn’t matter that much but…” or “If you would like it to be so…” rather than seeking the Lord within my heart and ensuring that I am being guided by the Holy Spirit. It is a brave thing to know what we want and to entrust that to God, something I need to work on more.

    As you say, God loves it when we bring what is on our hearts to Him, and even more so when we confidently make a request in the knowledge He can make it so.

    Thank you for sharing these words, and peace to you and your family. 🧡

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    1. Just hours before reading your words here, Hamish, I felt Holy Spirit impressing on my heart again how very eager the Father is to answer our prayer. I believe He wants to encourage you specifically with this. You delight His heart! And He loves to respond to your requests, so ask away, with the bold confidence of His deeply delighted in child, the child of the King no less!

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