Luke 13:10-13 “And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God."
Here we find Jesus teaching in the synagogue as He regularly did. The bible tells us that in came a woman that had a Spirit of infirmity for eighteen years! We all know the story, Jesus heals her and the Pharisees and Sadducees become indignant with Him for He exposed the ineffectiveness of their ministry. But is that all that the Spirit is trying to teach us here?
When we look a bit closer, we find that this woman had been coming to the "Church" for at least 18 years straight. And not only did she come but she came not being able to lift herself, or in other words, she was dependent upon someone else to help her get ready for church, go to church and return home again. Let's not forget the many times I am sure she needed assistance for everyday bodily functions to say the least. She was in a state of total dependency for eighteen years! It’s a scary thing having to rely upon someone for your every need! What if they get mad at you, or leave you for "something better"? Can you imagine all the fears this woman must have experienced in her eighteen years of infirmity?
As we read further, we see that Jesus also asked her to do something that she could not do; to lift herself. It says, "He called her to Him..." How was she to come to Him? The bible just told us that, "she in no wise could lift herself up." She was broken, weak, feeble and totally dependent upon others. But Jesus asked her to do something that she could not do? So for all those out there that think God will never ask you to do something you cannot do, you are wrong! He will always ask you to do something you cannot do. That’s how you know it God! So that thing you are facing that seems impossible right now, know that God would not be asking you to do it if He was not going to empower you to go through it!
By faith, we see this woman lift herself up and praise God. She had gone to church for eighteen years. She had worshiped before a veil, where God no longer resided. You would think, that not having received a healing yet, she would have given up by now. In my book she had every right to give up, to quit, and to never come back. But she persisted against all odds, in the face of adversity and why did she go to church on this day and every day prior to that? Because "This might be the DAY!!!!"
What excuses are you still using? What "dependency" are you letting stop you from coming to the place where God is? Will you choose to day to stop wallowing in your excuses, and no longer be content to die in your history, but by faith raise yourself up, come to Jesus, and be made whole from your infirmities? After all, "This might be the day!"
No comments:
Post a Comment