The interval between praying and receiving God's answer provides an important test of our relationship with Him.  The royal official, whose son was dying, travelled a long way to ask Jesus for help.  Although his son was still over twenty miles away, the man believed the words of Jesus, "‘Go,’ Jesus replied, ‘your son will live’" (John 4:50).  His obedience, in leaving Cana and returning to Capernaum before he saw the miracle, was the evidence of his faith.

That faith was rewarded because his servants came along the road to Cana to meet him with the good news that the boy had recovered.  And he found that the sudden recovery occurred at exactly the same time that Jesus had spoken.  This miracle did not require a theatrical demonstration but simply enough faith to ask Jesus to help, and then faith to believe what Jesus had said.  The royal official did not beg Jesus to come back to Capernaum, to lay His hands on the boy.  The boy was not healed by Jesus' touch, but by His power in response to the official’s faith in Jesus’ promise.

Faith and practical obedience are always linked (James 2:14-26).  Those who do not believe God's Word will not obey it: but those who trust the Lord are confident to pray, leave the matter with Him, and continue to be obedient until the answer is given.  By contrast, those whose faith is weak will continue to worry and fret because they have not yet seen God's answer.  Those people are also deflected from obeying what they know the Lord is asking them to do.

The big question is do we believe that the Lord knows the perfect answer and has the power to bring all things under His control, including us (Philippians 3:21)!  The Bible assures us that He does have that knowledge and power, so let us practise believing the truth, praying in faith, and living in obedience.