Happy New Year, everyone.  Yes, we begin our 11th year of sharing the Word of God this way with you all.  Some of you have been part of the Musings family since that first one in early 1998.  Thanks for hanging in there with me.  As we look ahead to 2008 we get excited over what God is doing in His world.  Politically - it is very exciting.  If the results of the Iowa caucuses are any indication - and we will know more next week with the New Hampshire primaries - it seems Americans of both political parties want change.  If that spirit holds, it could be a very interesting year, not only with the presidential race, but with legislative and Congressional races as well.  Economically...well, all I can say at this point is that we need to be strapped in securely because from what my friends tell me, it could be a bumpy year.  Internationally, the world continues to unravel...near civil war in Kenya, accompanied with tribal massacres...the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan has that nation on the brink of collapse...and there is lots of double-speak as the world tries to solve the Palestinian-Israeli crisis.  (I will have more to say about that in our next Musing, responding to President Bush's trip there next week).  I don't know about you, but I am glad that I can have confidence in my God.  I am glad that I am anchored to the Solid Rock!  I am glad that He is in control. 

Now, let's see where we left off in our study of John when we were last together.  Take your Bibles and turn with me to John 4:43-54.  Jesus had stayed in Samaria for two days, staying at the request of the people of the village of Sychar.  Many of the Samaritans came to believe in Him.  Now, Jesus arrived back in Galilee and met with a rousing welcome from those who had witnessed what Jesus had done while in Jerusalem.  Excitement certainly followed wherever Jesus went.  For reasons the text does not tell us, Jesus had returned to the village of Cana.  Perhaps He wanted to check in on the newly wed couple at whose wedding He had performed His first miracle. 

While in Cana, Jesus is confronted by a man who had a desperate need.  John tells us that the man was a royal official - probably someone who was in the employ of King Herod Antipas, the ruler over Galilee and who lived in Tiberias.  This official was from Capernaum where he probably represented the King in important matters.  Now Capernaum was 20 miles from Cana - a distance of some 4 to 5 hours walking time - and not the easiest walk in the world as I have been over that road on a bus.  But the man was desperate for help as the text tells us that his son was close to death with a very high fever.  Let's just pause and consider this desperate man for a moment.  First, I find it very interesting that here is a man of royal position coming to a humble carpenter.  His action would probably have caused a sensation among his peers.  But, he did not care what other people might say.  He knew that only Jesus could help him in his hour of greatest need.  Second, this man refused to be discouraged.  Look at verse 48 - Jesus gives a rather harsh statement.  The crowd had gathered for another spectacular display of the miraculous, but Jesus wanted to make sure that the official was earnest.  Go back to verse 47 where John tells us that the man begged Jesus for help.  The tense of the verb there implies that he was not going to leave until Jesus did something for his son.  Third, this man had great faith.  Drop down to verse 50.  That verse always challenges me.  What was the man's request?  "Jesus, please go with me to Capernaum so you can heal my son."  What was Jesus' response?  "Go home, your son is okay."  The official now stands at a crossroads of faith.  Does he take Jesus at His word, or does he insist upon that for which he came?  How would you have responded if you had been in his shoes?  The writer of Hebrews defines faith as "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1).  This man certainly had the substance of something for which He hoped - the healing of his son; yet there was no evidence.  John tells us, almost matter-of-factly, that the man took Jesus at His word and left.  Now friends, that is faith.  And the story turned out well - his son was healed, in fact he was healed the moment Jesus had spoken the words to his father.  The result was more members being added to the family of God (verse 53).

Faith...I think that will be the operative word for 2008.  Will we dare to trust God at His Word?  Or will we want to rely upon our own ideas and research?  Perhaps we should allow this unnamed royal office from Capernaum to be our model for the New Year.  Let us dare to believe that God will do all that He has promised He would do.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: Faith rests on the naked Word of God; that Word believed gives full assurance.  (Harry Ironside)