Even Little Faith Can Be Great! By Oral Roberts

And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered and said, Lord . . . speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.- Matthew 8:7-8 KJVIn my view, the 8th chapter of Matthew’s Gospel is the most powerful healing chapter in the Word of God. And the healing of the Roman army captain’s servant – his simple faith, which Christ called “great faith” – may be the most important healing for us to study because it contains the essential elements for us to base our faith on for our own healing today.Notice that when the centurion came to Christ and told Him about his suffering servant, Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.” That’s what was uppermost in Christ’s mind – the deliverance of lost and suffering humanity. And I believe that’s what He thinks about today. He’s touched by the feelings of our infirmities. When we hurt, He feels our hurt. And He has come to heal us.Well, the servant was lying at a distance, and the Roman captain said, “It’s not necessary for You to come, Lord. I’m a man under authority. The head of the Roman Empire has sent me here with the occupying army of Rome, and I have a hundred men under me. When I tell a soldier to do a certain thing, he does it without questioning me because he knows that I speak in the authority of Caesar, the emperor of the Roman Empire, the mightiest force in the world.“And, Jesus, I know that You are a man under authority. I have the authority of Caesar. But You have total authority. Speak in the authority of Your own being. Just say the word and tell this disease to leave my servant’s body. It will submit to Your authority, and my servant shall be healed.”Jesus was so thrilled that He turned to the crowd and, in essence, said, “Look at this man! I’ve been searching for faith like his all over Israel and I’ve not found it. This is what great faith is.”Now notice that this man was a Gentile, which at that time meant he was a pagan. But somehow God had tenderized his heart and let him see a vision of the authority of God being above all human authority. The centurion had centered his faith upon this Man, Jesus of Galilee. Jesus sensed it and called it “great faith.” This is encouraging to you and me because it shows we don’t have to be somebody special in order to have great faith.Jesus turned to this Roman army captain and said, “You just go on home. I’ve spoken the Word.” And as he went, the servant was healed.The story of the servant’s healing is one of the best experiences that you and I can share. We need to hear this passage over and over and learn that we, as believers, must center our faith upon the authority of our Lord.This story is your story and my story. It means that when we have faith – no matter how small – in the authority of Christ, and we release that faith, we can be healed.