John 4:49-54: in context

A royal official whose son is dying comes to Jesus, begging him to come down and heal the boy before he dies. But Jesus does not go with him. Go your way, he says; your son lives. And the man does something notable: he believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. He set off home on the strength of Jesus' bare word alone, before he had any evidence it was true. On the road his servants meet him with news that the boy recovered at the very hour Jesus spoke; and he and his whole household believe.

The heart of this account is a simple sentence: the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. He had asked Jesus to come and heal his son, expecting perhaps a visit, a touch, some visible action. Instead Jesus gave him only a word, your son lives, and sent him home. And the official, without seeing anything, without any proof that his son was healed, took Jesus at his word and set off. He believed the word first, and only later, on the road, received the confirmation that it was true. That is faith: taking God at his word and acting on it before we see the evidence. We are inclined to want proof before we believe, to wait for the confirmation before we act, to trust only what we can see. The official shows a different way: to believe the word Jesus speaks, and to act on it, before the evidence appears. He had nothing but Jesus' bare word, your son lives; and he staked his hope on it and went home, and found it true. This is the pattern of faith throughout Scripture. Abraham believed God's promise before he saw it fulfilled; we walk by faith, Paul says, not by sight. God gives us his word, his promises, and asks us to believe them and act on them before we see them come to pass, trusting the one who speaks. The official did not demand to see his son healed before he would believe; he believed the word and went, and the seeing followed the believing. And so it often is for us: we are given a word from God to trust, a promise to stake our hope on, and asked to believe it and act on it before the confirmation comes, taking God at his word as the official took Jesus at his. The believing comes first; the seeing follows. Faith is taking God at his word, and going our way on the strength of it, before the evidence appears.

Do I demand proof and confirmation before I will believe and act, trusting only what I can see, or can I do as the official did, taking Jesus at his word and acting on it before the evidence appears, believing the word he speaks and going my way on the strength of it, trusting the one who spoke?