Hope While We Wait

On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, He called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” Then He put His hand on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God. – (Luke 13:10-13, NIV)

He was teaching in one of the meeting places on the Sabbath. There was a woman present, so twisted and bent over with arthritis that she couldn’t even look up. She had been afflicted with this for eighteen years. When Jesus saw her, He called her over. ”Woman, you’re free!” He laid hands on her and suddenly she was standing straight and tall, giving glory to God. – (Luke 13:10-13, MSG)

Around this time, He was teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath, the Jewish day of rest. A woman there had been sick for 18 years; she was weak, hunched over, and unable to stand up straight. Jesus placed His hands on her and suddenly she could stand straight again. She started praising God. – (Luke 13:10-13, VOICE)

 

At first, this passage made me curious as to what the woman had been suffering from for so long. After a bit of pondering, and reading a bit further, I realized there was so much to grasp from the story, that it really was irrelevant as to what caused her crippled state for so many years, but rather that on that particular Sabbath, she was healed. Not only was her long-awaited hope realized, but Jesus silenced the piousness of the synagogue leader, who claimed it was unlawful to heal on the Sabbath. Jesus, in His great wisdom, pointed out the purpose of the healing, and how it was far more important than watering an animal, which everyone did, even on the Sabbath. As His opponents were silenced, the woman who was healed could not contain her gratitude. She stood tall for the first time in eighteen years; with her hands extended toward heaven, she gave glory to God. I do wonder if she had shown up on that particular Sabbath hoping to be healed, or simply had come to hear the teaching of Jesus and be encouraged. Either way, Hope had come. After eighteen long years, she had been restored, and immediately, she gave all glory to God.

This both encourages and challenges me in this season. I woke at 2:30 this morning, for no apparent reason. Immediately, my thoughts went to my mom. I searched for the number to call the front desk at her senior living community to check in and see how she was doing, but the number I reached, rang off the hook. Defeated, I sat on the steps and prayed for her. Perhaps that was what I was meant to do all along; just pray. In the same way that healing came to that woman in the synagogue, I am contending for in my mom. God has done some miraculous work, as He spared her life and is actively restoring much of what was lost due to her stroke, yet I am continuing to pray for total healing – full and complete. God is good, and He is able to move and heal and grant hope; always. May we be encouraged to hold hope, even in the waiting, for God is good and His love endures forever.

 

Hope is the anchor,

To which we can hold;

Steady and secure,

Sure strength to behold.

For God is our rock,

When all else gives way;

He won’t be shaken,

By wind, storm or waves.

So, cling close to Christ,

All doubts, choose ignore;

God will be with us,

Beside and before.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You are the God who heals. Thank You that Your timing is perfect, even when the wait seems long. Forgive us for forgetting how incredibly powerful Your love is for each of us. Teach us to trust You more – both for healing and in the waiting. Show us how to love well, all those around us, with encouragement, strength and hope. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we praise You for Your incredible love that first heals hearts and then touches lives in countless other ways. Amen.

 

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

 

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. – 1 Chronicles 16:34

Growing Good

Large cypress trees will grow where there were thorn bushes. Myrtle trees will grow where there were weeds. All this will happen to make the Lord known, to be a permanent reminder of His goodness and power. – (Isaiah 55:13, ERV)

In place of the thorn the cypress will grow; in place of the nettle the myrtle will grow. This will attest to the Lord’s stature, an enduring reminder that won’t be removed. – (Isaiah 55:13, CEB)

Prickly thorns and nasty briers will give way to luxurious shade trees, sweet and good. And they’ll remind you of the Eternal One and how God can be trusted absolutely and forever. – (Isaiah 55:13, VOICE)

 

Just as God promised to replace the harsh and harmful places with those that are beneficial and blessed, He does the same in the lives of those who place their trust in Him. It takes little to look back and discover the spaces within our own hearts and lives where God has taken the things that brought harm and redeemed us with His blessings that overflow and offer good to those around us. God is faithful, and each place where we see new growth of good, we have a lasting reminder of His goodness and power – both in us and for us forever. May we seek the Lord and His everlasting love, as He is the One who brings new growth of good where destructive and harmful things once stood.

 

In place of the thorns, 

God will grow new good;

As we see Him move,

His heart’s understood.

This amazing grace,

That makes broken new;

Shows with great power,

That His word is true.

For as bad gives way,

To new, good and sweet;

The Lord is made known,

Our sacred retreat.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that where dead and destructive things once grew, You have brought new that is good and beneficial. Thank You that in every space where You have turned the harmful into good, we have an enduring reminder of Your goodness and power. Forgive us for our frustration and fearfulness of the prickly and nasty spaces – both inside and out. Teach us to trust You more, so that we would rely on You to be our strength in the pruning process, and our guide to navigate through the new. Show us how to love others well, so that we may be reminders of Your faithfulness forever. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we keep our eyes and hearts open to be aware of the good that You are growing in and around us. Amen.

 

© Shannon Elizabeth Moreno and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

 

As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. – James 5:11

Rise Again

Good people might fall again and again, but they always get up. – (Proverbs 24:16a, ERV)

God-loyal people don’t stay down long; soon they’re up on their feet again. – (Proverbs 24:16, MSG)

For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again. – (Proverbs 24:16, NIV)

 

When the going gets tough, the tough keep going. I have witnessed incredible strength demonstrated in the lives of people in the midst of crazy adversity. What I noticed, is that each of those who had strength to rise when most would have crumbled, were firmly established in their faith. Despite their circumstances and what they were able to see before them, their faith did not waiver. Each time I observe such unflappable faith, I am both in awe and inspired to invest more of my heart in the spaces where I struggle to trust. The goodness of God gives way to strength and hope and help in such spaces, if we are willing to place our trust in Him. We must ask in order for Him to answer, as God does not force His way in, nor does He overtake our hearts and minds. We have a free will and must choose. May we ever make the choice to use our voice and intentionally trust in the Lord and His strength, so that each time we fall, we rise up again.

 

We can be certain,

That trials will come;

Our resolve tested,

Where will we choose run?

When we trust the Lord,

Seek His strength and might;

We gain the resolve,

To rise up and fight.

No matter the falls,

The times we’re knocked down;

If we trust in Him,

Strength to rise is found.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that when we trust in You, You give us the strength and resolve to rise again, each time we fall down. Forgive us for the times that we have fallen from Your grace with the choices we have made, and stayed stuck, rather than seeking You for help and forgiveness. Teach us to trust You more, so that we would seek You when we are down, and when things are going well. Help us to keep short accounts, so that we do not divert from the path that You have placed before us. Show us how to love and lead those around us well, so that they too, may rise again, each time that they fall. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we trust in You and Your strength to help us rise again, each time we fall. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Moreno and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy. – Hebrews 4:16