<Meditation>

• The faith to pray believing that it has already happened is a faith given by God.
• The faith of the centurion: He requested Jesus to heal his servant suffering from paralysis, saying, “Lord, you do not need to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed.” Jesus remarked that He had not seen such faith before.
• In verse 9, after hearing the centurion’s words, Jesus uses the term ‘children of the kingdom’ in verse 12, which I find hard to understand. While many will sit with the patriarchs of faith in the kingdom of heaven, the ‘children of the kingdom’ will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Does this imply a distinction already made on earth between God’s children and others? It’s unclear.
• Verse 22: What does it mean when Jesus tells a disciple, “Let the dead bury their own dead”? How is this related to the statement that God is not the God of the dead, but of the living?

*** Reference: Luke 20:28 ***

• It’s stated that the dead, having been resurrected, are alive before God.
• Does this mean that conducting funerals in this world is merely a ritual for our own satisfaction?
• Examples of ancient funeral rites: Stone tombs (from the Paleolithic era, about 2.5 million to 10,000 years ago) and pyramids (circa 3000 BC).

<Application>

The relationship between Samantha and me has become strangely awkward. The events of that day remain utterly baffling to me. It happened the day after I resolved to ensure Samantha could receive baptism in Texas. The occurrences that morning can only be attributed to satanic interference. While it seems there’s no way to resolve the feelings between us, I trust God for a resolution and pray. I believe He will not leave His returned children just as they are. Like the centurion’s faith, I believe God has already resolved the emotional issues with Samantha.

Done: I’ve confirmed that my relationship with Samantha has fully returned to how it was before. Grateful!