Thought for the Day: In the Gospel of John Chapter 5, Jesus encounters a man who had been crippled and unable to walk for thirty-eight years. John 5:8 says, “Jesus said to him, Arise, take up your pallet, and walk.” The scriptures report that the man got up and immediately began to walk. That is a miracle! Whatever his medical condition was that originally prohibited him from walking; this man’s muscles were atrophied and useless. But Jesus gave the word and his health and vitality were restored. That is power—wonder working power! I think of that man lying helpless for nearly four decades of his life and think about the change that was made because of an encounter with Christ. EVERYTHING changes when Jesus enters your life; your life will never be the same! Tomorrow on Monday, I’m scheduled to try on my new prosthetic leg and take my first steps in almost four months. I’m going to need training and it will take time for my muscles and tendons to be strong enough to go all day—but tomorrow I will hear the prosthetist say, “Get up and walk.” It won’t be quite the miraculous event that the man who encountered Jesus experienced. But it is going to be wondrous in its own way. I know that there will be a smile on my face and a joy in my heart as I stand on my own two feet again; I can only imagine what joy the crippled man must have felt as he stood there for the first time in almost 40 years, looked Jesus square in the eye, gave thanks, and then turned and strode away. We don’t see that many miraculous physical healings in our times. Jesus isn’t currently walking the earth laying hands on people. But I believe that God still heals today. If you remember my story, I believe that God miraculously healed my heart valves from one day to the next while I was in the hospital. One day they said I will have to undergo heart surgery to repair the damaged valves of my heart and the next day the doctor could not find any signs of damage. Explain that as a faulty diagnostic test or whatever; but I say God healed me in answer to the cry of my heart! And I know that me walking again isn’t exactly a miraculous healing; but that we have the medical care available and the ability to assist me to walk again seems pretty marvelous to me. And I’ve got to tell you that Jesus is still in the healing business; just that often it isn’t the physical kind. What is more important to us is the emotional, the mental, and the spiritual. Jesus can bring peace and wholeness in these areas of your life. Turn to Him in faith and ask. Now I have to tell you that you won’t always experience an immediate healing. Sometimes He has you wait for a time; sometimes He includes your effort in your restoration; and sometimes in His sovereign wisdom, He declines to answer your prayer in the manner that you desired. Tell God the desires of your heart; and then let God be God. Ask God to work in your life and grant you forgiveness and the ability to forgive others. Ask God to give you peace and hope despite the circumstances you face. Ask God to shower His love upon you when you feel like no one else loves you. Ask God to comfort you and ease the grief you bear over the loss of a loved one. Ask for God to cleanse you from the guilt and penalty of sin and receive forgiveness and new life. Tell God the desires of your heart; and then let God be God.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Mar 2014 11:24:51 +0000