Jesus is the Healer

A man with leprosy came to Him and begged Him on his knees, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” Jesus was indignant. He reached out His hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” He said. “Be clean!” Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed. – (Mark 1:40-42, NIV)

A man who had leprosy came to Jesus. The man bowed on his knees and begged Him, “You have the power to heal me if You want.” These last words made Jesus angry. But He touched him and said, “I want to heal you. Be healed!” Immediately the leprosy disappeared, and the man was healed. – (Mark 1:40-42, ERV)

A leper walked right up to Jesus, dropped to his knees, and begged Him for help. Leper: “If You want to, You can make me clean.” Jesus was powerfully moved. He reached out and actually touched the leper. Jesus: “I do want to. Be clean.” And at that very moment, the disease left him; the leper was cleansed and made whole once again. – (Mark 1:40-42, VOICE)

This is a fascinating exchange between a man with leprosy and Jesus. The leper knows that Jesus is the Healer but is uncertain if it is for him. Perhaps the way that society viewed lepers was a factor in how he went about asking Jesus to heal him. Shunned and banished from families and communities, those with leprosy were considered unclean and not allowed to be within touch distance of anyone. I imagine that the man, knowing he was unclean and risking exposing others, was uncertain as to whether Jesus would want to heal him. Society had not valued him. Would Jesus? I love that Jesus was powerfully moved, told the leper that He did want to heal him, and then reached out and touched him. Not only did His words validate the leper’s value, but Jesus was not afraid to touch the “untouchable”. As He did, the man was made whole again. I imagine that the wholeness the leper experienced was much more than physical. Yes, his skin was healed from the disease, but through the physical touch, I can only venture to imagine that his heart was healed as well. So often when Jesus healed people, He would tell them that their sins were forgiven. Jesus was doing so much more than physically healing people; He was healing hearts and minds so that their worth would be made known. The same Jesus that healed many during His three years of ministry, placed the power of His Holy Spirit in those who believed. The early church continued to experience powerful healings as believers prayed in Jesus’ name. Throughout the generations from then to now, Jesus has continued to miraculously heal people. May we ever trust in Jesus, our Healer, and go to Him to lead us in spaces that need His powerful touch. Sometimes, He heals miraculously, and often, He utilizes humans to help bring freedom from what ails us. Other times, the physical healing does not happen until heaven. I know from personal experience, that at times, Jesus may bring doctors in to do the physical work, but He works in our hearts through the process. In all things, God is good, and we can trust Him to be our Healer.

Jesus, our Healer,

Always He is good;

His love reaches out,

Makes grace understood.

His healing is more,

Than our eyes can see;

He touches our hearts,

In Him, we are free.

Free from the burden,

Of sickness and pain;

No longer hopeless,

Held up in His Name.

His healing will come,

Eventually;

Be it here on earth,

Or when heaven’s seen.

His timing’s perfect,

Despite how we feel;

His grace sufficient,

And heaven is real.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You sent Your Son to be the Healer. Thank You that after He returned to His rightful seat in heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to continue to move among us and bring healing and wholeness. Forgive us for questioning Your love and desire to heal, for love is for good in all things. Help us to seek You to be our Healer and to lead us in the direction we are meant to go, both personally and as we walk alongside others in need of Your touch. Please heal the hearts, minds and bodies of those in need. Show us how to walk by faith and not by sight, as we lift up and love those around us. May many come into a lasting relationship with You as they recognize the healing that is found as they hope in You. Be glorified O God, as we trust You to be our Healer, listen to Your leading as we go, and believe that You will bring healing – be it on earth or in heaven. Amen.

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

Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases. – Psalm 103:2-3

Navigating the Unknown

As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. – (Ecclesiastes 11:5, NIV)

You don’t know where the wind blows. And you don’t know how a baby grows in its mother’s womb. In the same way, you don’t know what God will do – and He makes everything happen. – (Ecclesiastes 11:5, ERV)

Just as you’ll never understand the mystery of life forming in a pregnant woman, so you’ll never understand the mystery at work in all that God does. – (Ecclesiastes 11:5, MSG)

God’s ways are not our ways, and His plans are not like ours. There are times that we cannot possibly see the purpose in what we go through, nor how the path we are on could lead to what He intended. Even so, God is good. His timing is not our own, and His ways are far higher. It is a matter of choosing to trust, even when we cannot see, for despite all things, He is good. The Lord cares about every detail of our lives. He knows how many hairs are on our heads, and the strengths and talents that He intentionally placed within us. Often, what we go through, provides the opportunity to discover strength we did not know was possible, and how to hold fast to hope. When I was young, I knew that I wanted to be a teacher. As I grew up, some of the class requirements steered me in a different direction. The one in particular, was a speech class. Rather than dig deep and suck it up, I chose to become an art major with an English minor. Graphic design was a delight, and I learned and grew in a variety of mediums. Once I graduated with my Bachelor’s Degree, I found my way to Montana as a YWAMer (Youth With A Mission), and ended up spending the next three years in and out of Asia. Ironically, (or as God designed) I ended up having to do much public speaking during that season. God called me back home to go back to school and fulfill my teaching credentials. Upon graduation from my Master’s program, I was hired to teach World Geography at my own former middle school. God had prepared my heart to have a passion for learning about new cultures, after I had experienced so much in the years prior. Additionally, I was granted the gift of coaching gymnastics, which I had done during high school and college, both as a job and joyful passion. Throughout my career thus far, I have had the opportunity to teach art and English as well. I know not where each new experience will lead, but I know that I can trust God to be with me. May we ever embrace each new path we are called to take and trust that God will lead us through. He is good, and He knows the desires of our hearts and the plan and purpose intended for each of us, individually.

No one truly knows,

Where the Lord will lead;

He grants us His strength,

As His will we heed.

Detours and trials,

And paths still unknown;

Each with a purpose,

As His grace is shown.

Even in heartache,

We grow and we learn;

He loves us through all,

To Him may we turn.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that though we cannot possibly know or understand all of Your ways, You are faithful to lead us and grow us through all. Thank You that as we depend on You, You use every experience for good. Forgive us for our fears and doubts in the spaces that we never thought we would be. Teach us to trust You completely, for Your plans are perfect. Show us how to love those around us in ways that offer strength, hope and peace. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we trust in Your unfailing love to lead us as we navigate each step that You bring us to take. Amen.

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

Lord, You establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished You have done for us. – Isaiah 26:12

Faithful Healer

Lord my God, I called to You for help, and You healed me. – (Psalm 30:2, NIV)

Lord my God, I prayed to You, and You healed me. – (Psalm 30:2, ERV)

O Lord, my healing God, I cried out for a miracle and You healed me! – (Psalm 30:2, TPT)

God is a faithful healer, yet His timing is not our own. We are a society that is accustomed to fast food, fast service, and rapid response. The Lord works in mysterious ways, and we know not why some prayers are answered quickly, and others, by our own expectations, take too long. Even within my own household, answers vary. The entire family has been ill, and for most of us, it has been fairly short-lived. Yes, that in and of itself is an answered prayer, yet one of my kids is still dealing with symptoms that seem to linger. By now, he should be fever free and feeling fantastic, yet he is not. Fever and a cough seem to be holding on, and his sleep is a struggle too. Because we see that my son is still symptomatic does not mean that God is not healing him. For whatever reason, the healing is taking longer as sickness lingers. There has been enough relief for schoolwork to be completed and to hang out and be loved by the pups, we are not just waiting for all symptoms to pass and for full healing to happen. May we ever seek the Lord and call on Him to bring the healing that we need most, for He is faithful to meet us in our every need.

I called on the Lord,

And He heard my cry;

His answers will come,

God’s love won’t deny.

When answers seem slow,

We need to choose trust;

Faithfulness is sure,

He’s loving and just.

Keep calling on Him,

For His love is kind;

He heals by His grace,

As we seek, we’ll find.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You hear our cries and bring healing through Your hands. Thank You that even when we don’t see what we are hoping for in our timing, You are moving beyond what we can see. Forgive us for our frustrations with delays in what we hope to see. Teach us how to trust and to continue to contend for Your full and complete healing whenever it is needed. Show us how to love and pray for those around us in faith. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we seek You and trust You to bring healing through Your hands. Amen.

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

Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. – Proverbs 16:24

Confidently Heard

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. – (1 John 5:14, NIV)

We can come to God with no doubts. This means that when we ask God for things (and those things agree with what God wants for us), God cares about what we say. – (1 John 5:14, ERV)

We live in bold confidence that God hears our voices when we ask for things that fit His plan. – (1 John 5:14, VOICE)

 

First and foremost, we can come to God confidently, as He hears our hearts whenever we seek Him. Just as a loving parent listens to their children when they come, so too, does our Heavenly Father, each time we bring our heart before Him. That being said, He is not a fairy godparent nor a genie that grants wishes; rather, God is loving and all-powerful, and has plans and purpose for each of our lives. When the things we bring before Him align with His will, He hears and responds accordingly. Likewise, when we are seeking something that is not in our best interest, He closes doors and places that check in our spirit that tells our heart that whatever it is, is not in our best interest. God’s ways are not our ways, nor His timing aligned with our own. Often, we seek and ask, and wait in wonder for what seems like forever, only to discover that God has been moving on our behalf all along, as there were things in us that needed preparing before the actual request could be fulfilled. God is good and faithful and worthy of our trust. May we ever live in bold confidence that He hears us when we ask of Him, things that align with His good and perfect plan.

As for Mom, she began more of her out-patient therapies this week. She was encouraged and determined when we spoke, and hopeful, as she recognized the new opportunities for growth to reestablish pathways that were lost. I love that one of the things that she said was that she wished she could go to therapies every day. Mom knows that the hard work is what is required of her, and she is ready to do exactly that. It will be a joy and a blessing to see the strides that she has made between Thanksgiving and Christmas, when we all gather together again.

 

With bold confidence,

May we all choose come;

Before the Father,

The Most Holy One.

For as we seek Him,

He’s faithful to hear;

Honoring requests,

When His plan is clear.

The Lord, He knows best,

Despite what we see;

He knows the outcome,

And what is to be.

So, trust in the Lord,

Place all in His hands;

Seek follow His heart,

To walk out His plans.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that we can come before You boldly and bring our requests to You. Thank You that You listen and hear our hearts. Thank You that You move on our behalf in the way that is best for us, redirecting our hearts to the path You have placed before us when we don’t know the way. Forgive us for our doubts when we do not see the evidence of You moving. Teach us to trust You more, as Your timing is not ours, nor are Your ways our own. Thank You that You do exceedingly more than we could hope or imagine when we place things in Your mighty hands. Show us how to love those around us in ways that come alongside to strengthen and encourage those who need it most. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we seek You and trust You, knowing that You hear us and move on our behalf when we ask things that follow the plan that You designed for us. Amen.

 

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

 

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me. – Psalm 28:7a

Help in His Name

Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. – (Psalm 124:8, NIV)

God’s strong name is our help, the same God who made heaven and earth. – (Psalm 124:8, MSG)

For the same God who made everything, our Creator and our Mighty Maker, He himself is our helper and defender! – (Psalm 124:8, TPT)

 

Today is the day that we will travel to Wenatchee, the place where my Viking and I will wed. Our intent was to leave this morning, so that we would have three full days there to prepare prior to the main event. As it turns out, the process of moving my boys and me out of our old home and into the new, takes far longer than anticipated, and our drive will not begin until late this afternoon. The past two days have been spent tirelessly working to pack and move and move some more. To look at what is yet to be done seems daunting, yet I know that all will be done as we seek Him for strength to press on. The very same God who made everything, is able to equip and empower us to finish all that must be done – both here and in Wenatchee. Though our departure time is going to be later than planned, I am certain that His timing is perfect, and all that needs to be done, will be. May we ever seek our Mighty Maker to be our help and our strength, for He is faithful forever to all who trust in Him.

 

The Name of the Lord,

Post work party dinner above and an example of things waiting to find a place to be stored… ❤

Our strength and our song;

He helps in our need,

All to carry on.

For great is His Name,

Our God, He is near;

Our help and our hope,

Our lifter of fear.

All strength for today,

And in all to come;

Blessed is the Lord,

The Most Holy One.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You are our strength, help and hope in all things and at all times. Thank You that nothing is impossible for You. Thank You that You meet us each time we call on Your Name. Thank You that Your timing is perfect and You see every need before it arises. Forgive us for our frustration and concerns when things do not go according to our plans. Teach us to trust You more, as You are faithful forever. Show us how to come alongside those around us in love, so that we may strengthen and support those in need. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we praise You, our Strength and our Help, for You are near. Amen.

 

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

 

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise Him. – Psalm 28:7