By Jeremy Whittaker
It was almost impossible to tell whether the night felt colder because of the bite from the winter air, or if the thoughts of defeat made the cold more unbearable. The camp of exiled persons stilled as the many persons retired to a night’s rest. However, her tent filled with the low sounds of stifled cries and sniffles. Today was another unsuccessful attempt to fix her disease; that dismaying fact only seemed to sink her further into the hard desert ground, if it could. She knew, that aside from the five pennies in her parcel, the small bottle of oil and a minute amount of flour, that her tears were all she had left. Yet for all the crying that she does, there was no solution. She was left wondering if change was too much to ask.
As big a blessing as life is, it seems to bring with it situations that are unbearable and unforgiving. It seems that situations arise without regard for position, stature, promotion, demotion, loss, fatigue or whatever. No person is spared of issues that attack and drain persons of their time, energy, health, finances, self-esteem, relationship happiness or some other critical area in life.
This woman’s situation was so severe that she was prepared to exhaust every resource she had in order to find a reprieve. Twelve years of visiting doctors with not one inch of improvement to her menstrual disease left her impoverished, sickly, desperate and even exiled from society. I believe that for her, at some point, she resigned herself to her situation; there had to be some point where she gave up, and believed that change would never come.
However just as she was giving up, she heard of a man who healed all, even of all kinds of diseases. She heard how the lame walked, the dumb talked, the deaf heard, the blind saw and even the dead was raised to life again through this man. This man, she believed, was so powerful, that she just needed to touch him. She didn’t try to entertain this busy man in conversation, she just needed to touch his garment to be made whole (Luke 8: 43-48). In some ways she understood this man named Jesus even more than some of his disciples, who were with him all the time.
The Bible says nothing comes to man unless it comes from heaven (John 3:27). While even I admit I get it twisted, and think that some of my achievements come from my relationships, my intelligence, my timing or my opportunities, in the light of such a revelation I understand that God is the ultimate blesser. So change is not only possible, but it is inevitable with God at the helm.
This is the most difficult thing to put to the test, when it seems like persons have been waiting forever for a turn in their finances, health, relationship, family or any other thing. I recall even moments in my Christianity when situations did not change yet, and I grew angry and lashed out in a variety of ways. I have since learned the error in my way. Even when the situation has not yet changed, God is faithful. That means that to remain in His hands and in his way, is to remain at least in the control of the person who has our good at the forefront.
The problem with that is in the waiting, God has his own unique timing to change our situations, and I must admit that in his sovereignty some situations will not be changed for the better. However with his level of faithfulness, improvement is guaranteed to occur, either to our situation, as we desire or to our character, as He often prefers. Your situation grows closer to improvement with each prayer, each fast, each song, each praise, each sermon you hear, whatever is done holding fast to the hope we claim brings the change that the Father in heaven desires. So whether it is a sin, a loss, a grievance, a promotion, a new friendship, whatever has happened in life lately, approach God for guidance and He will make every situation better.
Comentários