"But Jesus on hearing this answered him, “Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well.”
-Luke 8:50 (ESV)-
Have you ever noticed in Luke chapter 8, Jesus' main message is about how belief is connected to true healing? Listen to the gorgeous-sounding version of "Amazing Grace" by Soweto Gospel Choir.
Do you have a story like this to share?
T'was grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fear relieved
How precious did that grace appear?
The hour I first believed.
All of the people he healed in Luke 8 were healed by Jesus in one way or another. The first example is when the man fell at Jesus' feet. Jesus cast out 'Legion' and the evil spirits who lived in this poor man went into pigs, then went off the cliff. The man was at Jesus' feet, completely healed and in his "right" mind. Can you imagine how "precious" that moment of grace from Jesus must have been to that man?
Next, the woman who believed she only had to touch Jesus' robe was healed by her faith. After being shunned and scorned for 12 years, I'm sure she felt like a "wretch" and must have regarded Jesus as amazing grace.
The final example is when the man comes out of his house and tells someone to tell Jesus that he no longer needs to come to the house because his daughter died. When Jesus went anyway, the people in the house laughed at him. Think about the sound of this man's daughter's voice. How sweet the sound of Jesus' amazing grace that he extended to this family.
This passage is so important for two reasons:
1) Jesus is unhurried. He didn't rush through the crowd and he didn't tell the woman who had been sick for 12 years he was too busy to minister to her. He tells her how and why she was made well.
2) We are commanded to not fear, only believe.
No fear.
Only believe.
A sermon once said that the Bible uses some version of 'do not fear' some 365 times throughout. Each day, we should remind ourselves that God is telling us to have no fear, but that we should only do what? Believe.
What should we believe in? Jesus' ability, power and authority to heal us from whatever infirmity or suffering we're going through. This is an astounding thought.
We once were lost and blind. But friends, we aren't anymore. Why do we keep believing a lie? Just because your healing or those who you are interceeding for doesn't happen in your time, doesn't mean Jesus isn't on His Way.
God is unhurried. He cares about each and every single one of his children. He ministers to each and every one of you. Keep praying. Keep believing.
This isn't only a humbling message, this message should bring you great joy. Etta James' "Oh Happy Day" should bring a smile to your face. Clap along. Tap your feet. Close your eyes. Let yourself be a kid again and dance around. It is a happy day certainly when we truly believe.
"Heavenly Father, thank you for this day. Thank you for this revelation and truth in your Word. Thank you that you are unhurried and take care of each one of us. We praise you as an audience of One that you love us so deeply. It is Jesus' amazing grace that was able to set those people free in Luke 8, and it is his amazing grace that still sets people free today in his name. Thank you Jesus for setting us free, so that we might worship, giving thanks to the Father. Thank you especially for teaching us to not fear, but to only believe. When we struggle with that, Holy Spirit, please shake us awake and remind us in our minds, emotions and characters that we are believing a lie; that God is healing us in an amazing way, even when we don't see it immediately. Keep us steadfast in prayer, especially for each other and for those we don't even know around the world. We love you so much. In Jesus' name we pray together, Amen."
No comments:
Post a Comment